The lectures gathered in this 1886 publication were delivered by August Boeckh in the years 1809–1865. The German classicist introduces his understanding of philology as a discipline that is not solely the study of language but also a subject incorporating historical and philosophical elements. The work is divided into two parts: the first provides the formal theory behind Boeckh's philological inquiries into the areas of hermeneutics and critique. The second and more substantial part of the book is a wide-ranging study of the history of Antiquity as well as an account of the methodology that Boeckh employs. He examines Greek and Roman public and private life, and considers different aspects of religion. Boeckh also gives an overview of different expressions of art such as architecture and painting, music and drama; and lastly he engages with the history of language and explains what lies behind etymology and syntax.