Fragments galore: On the problem of a philological term

Abstract

Dealing with and collecting fragments has always been one of the core tasks of scholars of classical antiquity, especially classical philologists. As an examination of the relevant editions and treatises reveals, there is no agreement on what a ‘fragment’ should be. This also has to do with the polysemy of this term, which has gained a new and wider understanding, especially since the Romantic period. In the present contribution it is therefore suggested that the term ‘testimony text’ (‘Zeugnistext’) should be used instead of ‘fragment’. In this way, it is also possible to avoid an editorial pre-determination regarding the authenticity of the testimonies in question. Furthermore, the question of the contextualization of the respective testimony texts will be discussed and suggestions for the practice of their presentation will be made.