Abstract
The idea for this edition is attractive. Arrian wrote his Hunting to complement Xenophon's. Hunting was an important ancient activity. Even those opposed to blood sports could find comfort in Arrian. He loves the chase, but is more humane than Xenophon in not liking the sight of the hare caught in the net, and more sporting in admiring the one that gets away. He approves of calling the dogs back from killing a brave hare, and is devastated when he cannot save her from his own hounds (16.5). The main commentator unfortunately uses this opportunity (p. 180) to tell the reader how she can be killed quickly! Xenophon claims, disarmingly, to be a mere 18to-r7s (13.4) in the linguistic fields in which his opponents of hunting, the sophists, toiled. Yet there is little in the way of literary business in this edition. Literary form is not a focus of attention. The main aim is to translate and explain the technical content of the works. There is no discussion either of such interesting features as Arrian's customary self-effacement. He records the name of his favourite hound Horme for posterity, and that of his fellow-huntsman Megillus (5.1-6), but not his own. He is merely 'Xenophon', in honour of 'the other Xenophon'. The translation pursues a literal accuracy, and a learner will benefit from how it follows the word order of the Greek most of the time. It must be admitted that the technical language and linguistic style of the works does not easily lend itself to literalism, but I found myself turning back to another expert huntsman, Hull 1964 (henceforth H.), for a translation that was accurate and also captured Xenophon's style. Xenophon's characteristically compressed asyndeton is very hard to capture, but the nice antithesis ytuao6r7pov itAcdv0pw7rov (3.9), which H. rendered 'hate the chase/love people', is lost in 'dislike the wild animal/prefer humans'. There is also a greater warmth in H. when he lets the bitch bestow 'caresses' 7repflo%Aai on her puppies (7.3). Waterfield's Penguin translation of On Hunting in Xenophon. Hiero the Tyrant and Other Treatises (Harmondsworth, 1997) also compares very well. The translation need not have neglected plurals, as in Xen. 12.2, aveovrat ... roV rrovovs: 'tolerate the hardship' ('endure their labors' H.), 12.3, 7rpoao'otL: 'approach' ('approaches' H., even better: 'offensives' Anderson 1985, p. 17), and 10.22, 'There are the same inspections and pursuit and approach and use of the spear' ('The routine of inspection and pursuit, the methods of approach and the use of the spear are the same' Marchant 1925); nor singulars, as in Arrian 1.1, 7a'yr/: 'snares'. There are other quibbles. Xen. 12.3: ra' r7apayyeAA6oeva rotELV is 'carry out the orders that are passed along', M., 'execute orders passed on to them', H., not just 'obey orders'. Measuring in modem terms also forfeits authenticity, as Anderson 1985 notes, pp. 38f. The purse net is five spans as measured between thumb and little finger rather than the modern 'three feet five inches' (but this was also H.'s way). 'These sticks should be easy to pull the nets off at the tops' takes some fathoming, though cleverly literal for evrTEpLa7raarot ra aKpa (2.7). M. is clearer: 'These stakes must be so shaped at the top that the nets will pull off readily'. Better proof-reading would have remedied on p.77 'hold' for 'holds', and 'aganst' in the next line. The error 'one would of thought' passed on p. 155. The once contested authenticity of Xenophon's work is accepted in this edition, but on the matter of the notorious preface, Vindobonensis As shorter version is preferred to the more elaborate versions in lesser manuscripts, which are held to represent a rewriting of an original more like A. It is noted that these obscure comparisons between Peleus and Hippolytus (chastity) and Antilochus and Aeneas (duty to father). This edition is a welcome contribution, but it does not take advantage of the opportunity to interest students of literature in a literary tradition which is as old as Hesiod's Works and Days. Those fascinated by the purely technical details of hunting may be few and far between.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
