Meaning of Epitome - What it is, Definition and Concept

An epitome is the summary of an extensive work, where the fundamental ideas of the subject are compiled.Epitome e s a kind of compendium that exposes in a few words the most relevant notions of the subject treats the work.Also in literature the epitome is used as a rhetorical figure, to reiterate in an exhibition the first words of a speech in order to provide greater clarity., since many lost or forgotten works are known through the outline of their theme through the epitome.Such is the case of the Egyptian world, whose history came to the knowledge of the world through the lost work of the Egyptian historian and priest Maneton, who wrote the chronology from mythical times until the conquest of Alexander the Great.

Maneton's work, called "History of Egypt or Aegyptiaka", gave the name of dynasties to the Pharaonic governments that held power on behalf of the majority, providing an innovative organization of the history.

Egyptian historical chronology was partially copied in the texts of ancient writers such as Sixth African July (3rd century), Flavio Josefo (1st century ), Eusebio de Cesarea (3rd century) and Jorge Sincelo (8th century), summaries of what we call epitomes and thanks to which we know the reconstruction of the history of the pharaohs of that country.

For centuries, the epitome was the only source of information from the ancient world, along with the stories of Herodotus and other Greek writers.

The investigations that deciphered the hieroglyphic writing made possible the interpretation of bas-reliefs and papyri, also allowing rediscovering the true history of this dazzling culture.

The Epitome Iuliani or Giuliano, is a collection of 124 novels by the jurist Julian who was a professor in Constantinople in the 6th century.The novels were laws that were promulgated after Corpus Iuris Civilis, a work that compiled the Emperor Justinian and that led to the process of codification of the laws and jurisprudence of ancient Rome.

The epitome of Giuliano was written in Latin , unlike the rest of the novels that the different authors usually wrote in Greek.The Roman Empire considered the work of jurisprudence as a source of law, that is to say, it gave force of law to those responses of the jurists that were issued publicly in the resolution of specific cases.

As a rhetorical figure, epitome is formed when there is a repetition of the words that lead a writing or a speech, whatever its extension.The repetition of the expressed idea can be carried out during development or at the end of the writing, in order to highlight or emphasize the fundamental notions that you want to communicate.

The purpose of the recapitulation that the epitome implies is to provide greater clarity, in addition to insisting on the main idea that sums up the theme.

Synonyms of epitome

summary, compendium, compilation, outline, synthesis, extract, scheme, synopsis, sketch, summary