I often come across references to Anthony Wood’s biographies of Oxford’s famous men, however I cannot make any sense of the title. Oxford men of Athens seems to make no sense? Can anyone explain this title please. Also puzzling are such titles as “Athenae Brittanicae” where does Athens or Athena come into these?
Athenae is “Athens” or “of Athena”. So I think you might translate the title as Athena’s “Oxonians”. As this book seems to be biographies of “the writers and bishops” who were educated at Oxford, Athena is used here because of her association with wisdom. The biographies cover a period when pretty much the only thing studied at Oxford was theology and classics. I guess Athenae Brittanicae is drawn more widely to cover British rather than oxonian men - I guess Wood wasn’t interested in women.
Thank you for explaining that it is the godess rather than the city. So I suppose it means Oxfordian followers of Minerva (i.e. notable in the Arts or for Wisdom)