The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names (LGPN) traces every bearer of every name, drawing on a huge variety of evidence, from personal tombstones, dedications, works of art, to civic decrees, treaties, citizen-lists, artefacts, graffiti etc.: in other words, from all Greek literary sources, documentary sources (inscriptions and papyri), coins, and artefacts. Because it records not just every name but every bearer of each name, it can be seen as the closest equivalent to a telephone directory of all parts of the ancient world where Greek was the main language of written record, and covering every region where Greek came to be spoken or written from Marseilles to India, from the late 8th c BCE to about 600 CE. The result: almost 400,000 ancient Greeks listed regionally in eight volumes, which cover the whole Greek world from Italy and Sicily to Anatolia; a ninth volume on Syria, Arabia and regions further East will soon be in press, and two more on Egypt are planned (one already in preparation) to complete the series.
Most of these volumes can now be searched online. A new search tool was launched at the beginning of February 2024 it can be accessed here. Please be aware that LGPN search is still in development.
In addition a specific extention for Egyptian names can be searched here.
