Rereading Galen and Zeuxis on Ptolemy’s Port

Abstract

This article casts doubt on the use of Zeuxis’ testimony (preserved by Galen in his commentary on Epidemics 3) regarding the acquisition of books in Alexandria as an explanation for the anonymity of some texts of the Hippocratic Corpus. Instead, it suggests that Galen’s account needs to be seen, in conjunction with his other musings on the subject, as a projection of his own experience and frustration with the fraudulent trafficking of books, including (and, perhaps, particularly) his own.