What are primary and secondary sources? What are their differences?
“Primary sources”, for the purposes of this website (and other Hellenic websites I may link to, eventually), are surviving ancient sources. “Secondary sources” are texts, usually academic/scholarly in origin, written about Hellenismos based on archaeological findings and data, summarisings of primary sources (often including very obscure things, such as temple records, papyrus scraps that appear to be from diaries, and other such errata that isn’t normally available as primary sources — do you have any idea how many Cuneiform receipts for purchases or debts are in the “classical antiquity” room at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio? the plaques in there include translations), and other conclusions made by people who study these practises. Typically speaking, primary sources for Hellenismos are only available in translation — and translations vary widely in quality. Still, a good rule of thumb when seeking a higher-quality translation is to stick with translations published by either a) t