Abstract

AL-MASĀQ 91 scrupulous exactness prevents the certain identification of one noted individual with another. We reach the limit here of what can be ascertained using a prosopographical approach. This is not the only issue with the text. Whilst the provision of appendices that provide lists of individuals by function is useful, the integration of the biographical detail into the main first section of the work would have been useful and reduced the need for constant cross-referen- cing. Some of the order of entries can be counter-intuitive; for example, are we to assume that Andradus should be rendered Andreadus by his inclusion in the third position on p. 39 amongst others who are named Andreadus? Or see Vasilius on p. 55: Why does he follow Basi- lius? Is this simply a matter of orthography? Why is Trazamundas listed before Traculus? (p. 231). The map on p. viii is published the wrong way round and is barely useful. For a work that commands a price of over €/£100, greater effort should also have been made by the publishers to ensure that small errors in the English were removed. Capturing what counts is only one facet of an effective prosopography. The material