Greek Epigrams Research Articles

Coming to Light: Illuminating the House of the Greek Epigrams in Pompeii

In recent decades, studies of Roman domestic space have proliferated. The result is a rich but impenetrable picture, with scholars often favoring the use of ancient sources on one hand and finds from excavated houses or material remains on the other. Studies have emphasized how light can be approached to investigate space and its social meaning. At the same time, in the field of digital technologies applied to archaeological investigation, light simulation and analysis have proven to be advantageous tools. Based on the concept of light as a powerful social agent, this study presents new insights into social and spatial behavior in the Roman house through simulation of natural and artificial light on a digital 3D reconstruction of the House of the Greek Epigrams (V.1.18) in Pompeii.1

A roof for the atrium of the House of the Greek Epigrams in Pompeii? A three-dimensional critical study

Over the last few decades, a critical revision of prior scholarship concerning Roman domestic space has led to the reappraisal of the traditional account of the atrium suggesting a possibility for this space to be ‘unroofed’. Accordingly, scholars have proposed to look for a convergence of impulses previously cultivated in isolation combining new theoretical frameworks, and a careful examination of the material evidence. Concurrently, a renewed interest in the structure of logical reasoning has identified the inference to the best explanation (IBE) as an effective method to build unitary hypotheses from complex and multifarious sets of data in a transparent way. This paper illustrates how the methodology described can effectively be used to address issues concerning the roofing of the atrium. In particular, it applies a novel IBE-based model to the case study of the House of the Greek Epigrams and presents a 3D reconstruction as a result.

Classical Traditions and Internal Colonialism in Early Eighteenth-Century Mexico: Text, Translation, and Notes on Three of Villerías’ Greek Epigrams.

Classical Traditions and Internal Colonialism in Early Eighteenth-Century Mexico: Text, Translation, and Notes on Three of Villerías’ Greek Epigrams.

Greek Epitaphic Poetry: A Selection by Richard Hunter

Reviewed by: Greek Epitaphic Poetry: A Selection by Richard Hunter Sara Kaczko Greek Epitaphic Poetry: A Selection. By Richard Hunter. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics). 2022. Pp. 294. The volume provides a commentary on eighty-one private inscribed funerary Greek epigrams from the archaic period through later antiquity. The texts are organized by gender consistent with Hunter's focus on the Hellenistic and imperial periods, with eleven epigrams down to the fifth century b.c.e., a dozen from the fourth century b.c.e., three dozen from the Hellenistic period, and twenty-two from the imperial era. In fact, epigrams down to the fifth century b.c.e. seldom show gendered differences in style or formulation (aside from references to death in battle). Public inscriptions are excluded, partly owing to Hunter's emphasis on poetic language celebrating the "ethical" and familial virtues of the deceased, though this language is characteristic of epigrams from the Hellenistic period onwards, with intimations of it in the fourth century b.c.e., rather than being an original defining characteristic of the genre. Also, public inscriptions, often being stylistically more elaborate than coeval private inscriptions, would offer valuable comparanda (e.g., CEG 4, 6, and 10 for Athenians fallen in battle; SEG 56.430, the new epitaph for the fallen at Marathon; and SEG 41.540, the polyandrion at Ambrakia). At any rate, anthologies require selection, and these are the criteria used for this volume. Five introductory chapters precede the commentary. The first provides definitions and context, including the differences between inscribed and literary funerary epigrams and the size of the corpus relative to that of prose funerary inscriptions, and describes the scope of the book. The second chapter addresses stylistic considerations, focusing on poetic models from Homer to tragedy (especially in fourth-century b.c.e. Attica) and on their language. This language is described as a negotiation between, as well as a blend of, poetic models (again, mostly Ionic-epic) and epichoric features. Hunter's remarks on the ostensibly limited local flavor of the dialect include the observation that Hellenistic epigrams favor the contemporary koine and seem not to display a marked Doric language, unlike the Doric of Theocritus' idylls. However, in the archaic and classical periods, Homeric features were adapted to the epichoric dialect precisely because of the strength of the local context. Also, the Doric flavor of Theocritus' verse was a literary mannerism in a period when the koine was, in many areas, including Doric ones, the "local" dialect, i.e., the language in common use. In other words, the expectation of a strong Doric flavor in a poetic composition is valid for some literary texts, but not for both literary and epigraphic poems. Overall, the chapter rightly stresses that in epigrams the linguistic and dialectal features vary, and that Doric features are found in both verse-inscriptions and literary funerary poems in non-Doric and Doric areas. The third chapter addresses the authors of the epigrams, whether they were members of the family or friends of the deceased. Alternatively, stonemasons may have provided the services of professional poets or ready-made poems for adaptation to individual circumstances, and pattern books, which have been invoked to explain strong similarities in funerary epigrams across the centuries and parts of Greece,1 may also have been in use. [End Page 368] In any case, Hunter correctly stresses the importance of oral memory and transmission. Also considered here is how the stonecutter received instructions regarding the epigram to be inscribed, whether directly from the poets, from intermediary figures (entrusted with the ordinatio), or from patrons, and whether these instructions were in written or in oral form, scenarios that may have consequences for the accuracy of the text. The extent of the errors in the inscribed epigrams and the claim that literary epigrams are more accurate both seem somewhat overstated. In inscribed epigrams there are, indeed, instances of correction, which indicate that accuracy was valued, and mistakes are also found in the literary transmission. For instance, the dialectal features of epigrams and of archaic and classical poetry are often banalized, especially when the...

Faces of Silence in Ancient Greek Literature ed. by Efi Papadodima

BOOK REVIEWS/COMPTES RENDUS 327 As Floridi states in the foreword, Hedylus’ epigrams have benefitted from the careful treatment of Gow and Page,5 but the small number of his poems has so far kept scholars from dedicating a monographic work to Hedylus. However, growing scholarly interest in this kind of poetry, attested by recent publications,6 has made a book such as the one under review a desideratum for all aficionados of Greek epigrams. This beautiful edition fully complies with the two tough goals the author set for herself. As outlined in the foreword, Floridi’s first aim was to prepare an updated critical text of Hedylus’ poetic output, based on a new examination of the ancient tradition and on a detailed analysis of the remarkable philological activity carried out over the last centuries. The extensive critical apparatus (where I have noticed four emendations put forward by Floridi) is clear evidence that this goal has been successfully met. Secondly, she wished to offer a close study of Hedylus’ poetry in order to evaluate his relevance in the development of the epigrammatic genre, particularly in the satiric subgenre. Her precise notes on Hedylus’ six satiric poems, almost half of his remaining production, well demonstrate that this kind of poetry, very popular in the first century c.e. as evidenced by Lucillius, Nikarchos, and Martial, has its roots in the Hellenistic age. These are two very good reasons for buying this book (even though, as all De Gruyter books, it is quite expensive at more than 100 dollars). University of Siena Simone Beta Faces of Silence in Ancient Greek Literature. Edited by Efi Papadodima. Berlin: De Gruyter (Trends in Classics Suppl. 100; Athenian Dialogues 1). 2020. Pp. viii, 318. This inaugural volume in the sub-series “Athenian Dialogues” is the product of a one-day conference sponsored by the Research Centre for Greek and Latin Literature of the Academy of Athens.1 Of the twelve contributions, two deal with epic and lyric, two with the novel, and eight with drama, of which the first treats comedy, the rest, tragedy. André Lardinois leads off with a study of silences in epic and lyric. Homer often signals silence in response to a statement by another character, for example, sig_ at Iliad 3.420, of Helen, frightened by Aphrodite’s rebuke; other causes are shame, awe, shock, and anger. In the example cited, sig_ is in enjambment; Lardinois argues that the rhapsode may well have paused here, reproducing and extending Helen’s silence before resuming the recitation, thereby inducing suspense when the explanation for the silence is given afterward. So too, when the other gods fall silent (sivp_, Il. 8.28, end line position) after Zeus’ threat, the performer might have paused, allowing the audience to wonder why. Lyric poets more often refer to their own silence, as when Theognis (not precisely a lyric poet) says, sig™ (420). A wedge is inserted between speaker and performer in Sappho 31, when she affirms her tongue is tied and she cannot speak. (Lardinois concludes by suggesting that the chorus in Euripides’ Medea may have paused significantly after 1283, at the word tŽknoiw, leaving the audience to expect in 5 A. S. F. Gow and D. L. Page (eds.), The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams 1–2 (Cambridge 1965). 6 Cf., for example, Kanellou et al. (above, n. 2). 1 It follows on S. Montiglio, Silence in the Land of Logos (Princeton 2000) and P. Bernardini (ed.), Le funzioni del silenzio nella Grecia antica (Pisa 2015). 328 PHOENIX the antistrophe another outcry from the children inside the house). Praise poetry, as Anna Tatsi observes in her chapter on Pindar, is by its nature anything but taciturn, since, as Pindar himself puts it, great accomplishments should not be covered in silence (Nem. 9.67), while shirkers and losers deserve mute obscurity (Isth. 4.30; cf. Parth. 1 = fr. 94a.6–10). Even earned praise, however, should not be carried to excess, for it may arouse envy; also, a victor’s achievements may be too numerous to recount (Isth. 1.60–63). Moreover, the mythic ancestors of great families are guilty of various crimes, which are best left unsung...

Nuova edizione commentata di P.Stras. P. gr. 2340 La più antica antologia epigrammatica su papiro?

Abstract New annotated critical edition of P.Strasb. P. gr. 2340 (beginning of the III century BC), probably containing the fragments of an anthology of Greek epigrams.

Authorship controversy in three Greek epigrams: Phalaecus revived

Authorship controversy in three Greek epigrams: Phalaecus revived

The Greek Anthology in the Renaissance: Epigrammatic Scenes of Reading in Spenser's Faerie Queene

This article considers the reception of the ancient Greek ecphrastic epigram in the Renaissance, specifically in the work of Andrea Alciato (1492–1550) and Edmund Spenser (1552?–1599). The focus is on a particular kind of epigram, which takes the form of a dialogue wherein the passerby questions an allegorical statue about its significance, and the statue responds with a form of self-commentary. This type of poem was of particular interest to the author of the first emblem book, Alciato, who used the epigrams to inspire a number of his emblem poems. Partly by means of the emblems, the Greek epigrams came to influence various moments in Spenser's epic poem, The Faerie Queene. This article argues that the dialogic form of the epigram suggests to Spenser the importance of the scene of viewing as a sophisticated aesthetic subject. I discuss the role of this kind of epigram in relation to the Occasion figure in The Faerie Queene 2.4, but also in connection to a number of allegorical statues in the poem. Furthermore, this article focuses on the figure of the unknowing passerby who appears in the epigrams and emblems to argue for the importance of a knowing and naïve viewpoint in Spenser's poem.

Lucillio, Epigrammi: Introduzione, testo critico, traduzione e commento ed. by Lucia Floridi

Reviewed by: Lucillio, Epigrammi: Introduzione, testo critico, traduzione e commento ed. by Lucia Floridi Simone Beta Lucia Floridi (ed.). Lucillio, Epigrammi: Introduzione, testo critico, traduzione e commento. Texte und Kommentare 47. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter, 2014. Pp. x, 662. €129.95. ISBN 978–3-11–033616–0. Lucillius, the most cutting Greek epigrammatic poet, amply deserves a modern edition of his poems—and, thanks to Floridi’s excellent book, one of the more significant sources of Martial’s well-known wittiness and sharpness can now be studied and appreciated in a fully satisfactory way. The Greek text and the Italian translation of Lucillius’ 142 epigrams (including five dubia and ten spuria) are preceded by a rich introduction, almost one hundred pages long, where Floridi deals with the poet’s life and his relation to the emperor Nero; his prominent position within the genre of the scoptic epigram; the language and the style of his poems; the structure of his books of epigrams; and his fortune in late Latin, Greek, and Byzantine satiric poetry. Floridi dedicates a long section of her introduction to the manuscript tradition, where she enriches the already copious information given in the introductory pages of her edition of another celebrated epigrammatic poet (Stratone di Sardi: Epigrammi [Alessandria 2007]) by taking into account some other manuscripts (such as the Riccardianus 25) and by discussing some new bibliography, especially F. Maltomini, Tradizione antologica dell’epigramma greco. Le sillogi minori di età bizantina e umanistica (Rome 2008). A specific chapter is dedicated to the versification technique of Lucillius’ epigrams. But the most valuable contribution that Floridi makes to our knowledge of Lucillius’ work is the commentary on his epigrams, because, however strange it may seem, no extended scholarly work has yet been dedicated to him apart from a dissertation composed almost half a century ago (B. J. Rozema, Lucillius the Epigrammatist: Text and Commentary [Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin, 1971]). The more or less recent editions of the fifteen books of Martial’s epigrams published in England (Howell 1980 and 1995, Kay 1985, Leary 1996 and 2001, Williams 2004, Coleman 2006); in Italy (Citroni 1975, Carratello 1980, Canobbio 2011 Buongiovanni 2012); in Germany (Grewing 1997, Schöffel 2002, Damschen and Heil 2004, Fusi 2006); in Holland (Galán Vioque 2002, [End Page 430] Moreno Soldevila 2006); and in Sweden (Henriksén 1998–1999) have created an urgent need for a modern edition of a poet whose production was deeply exploited by the most famous Latin scoptic poet. After the publication of Gideon Nisbet’s Greek Epigram in the Roman Empire: Martial’s Forgotten Rivals (Oxford 2003), dedicated to some imperial epigrammatic poets, a work Floridi quite often refers to (sometimes with disagreement), a new edition of the epigrams of one of the more prolific, and also more biting, of these “forgotten rivals” was badly needed—and has become even more necessary since the subsequent publication of the editions of other imperial epigrammatic poets such as Ammianus (Schulte 2004) and Nicarchus (Schatzmann 2012). Floridi has accomplished a difficult task in a very thorough way, showing her growth as a scholar who has built effectively on her (nevertheless still remarkable) edition of Straton’s musa puerilis (the Latin translation of the locution used by Constantine Cephalas, the collector of the poems of the Palatine Anthology, to indicate the homosexual content of the epigrams of Straton). The Greek text of each epigram is followed by the critical apparatus and by a neat Italian translation; after a detailed introduction in which the content of the poem is discussed in relation not only to the whole production of Lucillius, but also to the peculiar poetics of the scoptic genre, we find the commentary proper, with particular attention to grammatical, linguistic, and philological questions. The usefulness of this book, which is essential for anyone interested not only in Greek epigrams but also in the main features of classical scoptic poetry, is enhanced by the three indexes (Greek words, Greek and Latin quoted passages, most significant names and items) that complete the volume. Simone Beta Università degli Studi di Siena Copyright © 2016 The Classical Association of the Atlantic States, Inc

Arte allusiva e mitologia astrale in Epigr. Bob. 29 Sp.

Summary – The following paper presents an interpretative hypothesis on Epigr. Bob. 29 Sp. which fits in the cultural debate on the reception of Aratus’ Φαινόμενα with elements of rhetorical variatio. Under the influence of Greek epigrams on animals which emphasized the element of Wonder and Absurd, the γρῖφος of the Greek model, AP 9, 18, is revised with stylistic variations and developed, at v. 4, translating the singular ἀστερόεντα κύνα with the plural sideribus canibus which fully implies astronomical connotations.

The Discovery and Interpretation of the Flavia Sophe Inscription: New Results

Abstract New archival material relating to the discovery of the Flavia Sophe inscription is presented and arguments made that the inscription was discovered in situ. Careful attention to the epigraphical, palaeographical, and metrical aspects of the poem, as well as its use of nuptial imagery lead to new proposals for reconstructions. Arguments for a date in the second century are re-examined and strengthened. The language of the inscription is placed within the context of other Greek funeral epigrams to show that the writer of the epigram was well aware of the conventions Hellenistic funeral poetry and that the poem artfully subverts many of these conventions. And finally, I claim that for this group of Christians, the “bridal chamber ritual” should be understood as a mortuary rite.

Notes on three Greek epigrams in MS Leiden, Voss. Misc. 13.

Notes on three Greek epigrams in MS Leiden, Voss. Misc. 13.

FORMS OF ATTENTION: TIME AND NARRATIVE IN ECPHRASIS

This paper investigates differing forms of attention entailed by the ecphrastic gaze in epic and epigram as a way of considering issues of time and narrative as crucial elements of ecphrasis. Its first section focuses particularly on Paulinus of Nola, who has been almost wholly ignored in recent discussions of ecphrasis, but who not only provides the first example of an ecphrasis of an ecphrasis – the description of an ecphrastic inscription attached to a work of art – but also provides a set of poems which construct the viewer's experience of visiting a church. This is taken as exemplary of a new development of a Christian gaze, a new form of attention. The second section looks specifically at temporality in ecphrasis (through Pliny, Virgil, and epigram), to see how different ideas of time and the experience of looking are inscribed in different genres – which in turn expect and create different forms of knowing. The third section looks particularly at later Greek epigrams, Callistratus and Achilles Tatius, to see how different authors play with ideas of temporality and narrative explored in the first two sections of the paper. Together, these interrelated arguments demonstrate how investigating forms of attention and modes of temporality allows us to develop a more nuanced comprehension of ecphrasis as a historical and aesthetic expression.

Maturam frugem flore manente ferens: pochwała starości w poezjach Auzoniusza

Decimus Ausonius Magnus (ca 310-394) was a rhetorician, a teacher, a tutor of young Gratian and a highly-ranked, influential official, as well as one of the most famous poets of the late Roman Empire. In his poems, he frequently described the small world he belonged to, the daily routine of his own, of his relatives, professional colleagues and friends. As the poet reached his old age, he made it a subject of his poetry. Ausonius considers old age to be a blessing, a time which permits a wise, generous person to gather fruit of his good deeds and fulfilled duties, to watch children and grandchildren grow and achieve successes, to share one’s wisdom with younger persons. Ausonius shows his grandfather and his grand­mother, his aunts, but first of all his father, Ausonius senior, as the examples of happy old persons, loving and loved, respected and needed by the people who surrounded them. He notices that old persons can be joyful, healthy and beautiful. Writing about old age, he mentions illness only once, while expressing his joy of having recovered and being able to send greetings to the grandson who celebrates his birthday. In spite of his age, Ausonius still loves his wife Sabina, who died many years before, the same way as he loved her when he was a young husband. He is deeply attached to Bissula, the charming German girl cap­tured and given to him by the Emperor Valentinian I probably circa 368. Besides, he really enjoys spending time with his friends and with the Muses. In his epigrams, most of which don’t have personal, but rather literary character, the poet translates, quotes, paraphrases and imitates Greek and Latin epigrams which deal with the theme of old age. Although in Ausonius’ poems exists an obvious resemblance to their models, he grants himself much freedom in his remouldings. Not only he alters circumstantial details, expands or abbrevi­ates the original, bur also uses them as mere starting points of his reflexion. It becomes more important for him to ponder over quickly passing youth or over a lover’s feelings towards a woman who rejected him when she was young, but whom he still admires, than to play a literary game. Ausonius never parodies nor even portrays women trying to attire men in their old age, even though he may mock old men pretending to look younger than they are. Neither he complains about pains and sorrows of old age. In all that, he remains a true Roman and a true gentleman.

Helenistični literarni epigram in rimski pesniki avgustejske dobe

Znano je, da so rimski pesniki klasičnega, še zlasti avgustejskega obdobja občasno posnemali ali celo aludirali na helenistični epigram, ki ga je pogosto mogoče zaslutiti v ozadju njihove poezije. Helenistični epigram se je v njihovem času kot žanr sicer že poslovil od svojih najslovitejših dni, vendar je še vedno cvetel. Nekateri epigramatiki so celo živeli v Rimu, zaradi česar se je v njihovih epigramih pogosto zrcalila rimska civilizacija, hkrati pa so rimskim pesnikom posredovali tudi grške literarne zglede. Poleg tega lahko do neke mere razmišljamo celo o vplivu avgustejskih pesnikov na sodobne in poznejše grške epigramatike. Prispevek skuša ob nekaj izbranih odlomkih pokazati stične točke med nekaterimi helenističnimi epigrami in odlomki iz rimske poezije. Pod drobnogledom so nekateri primeri možnega direktnega ali indirektnega vpliva, ki ga je na avgustejske pesnike imela tako starejša kakor tudi mlajša, v rimski čas sodeča generacija helenističnih epigramatikov.

From Stone to Parchment: Epigraphic and Literary Transmission of Some Greek Epigrams

This paper deals with an oft-neglected aspect of the complex relationships between the Hellenistic culture and the Archaic and Classical tradition, namely the epigrams handed down to us in both epigraphical and literary sources. These (unfortunately rare) epigrams represent the only opportunity we have to detect the divergence between the original Archaic or Classical texts preserved on stone and their copies transmitted by manuscripts. Indeed, the Archaic and Classical epigrams have usually been handed down to us either as inscriptions or in manuscript copies, but very rarely in both forms. During the literary transmission the epigrams were modified in many ways: e. g. the writing conventions of the Archaic alphabets were abandoned and replaced by the “standard” system, and the linguistic shape suffered remarkable alterations. One of the aims of this paper is to explore the nature of the modifications undergone by some Archaic and Classical epigrams on stone during their literary transmission.

Poliziano's Kupris Anadyomene and Botticelli's Birth of Venus

A little known Greek epigram by Angelo Poliziano, entitled Kupris Anadyomene, is of singular value as an expression of his emotional reaction to classical texts and images. There are few Renaissance texts that rival this epigram for transparency regarding the process of appropriating aspects of the classical past. The epigram purports to be an ekphrasis of the Aphrodite Anadyomene painting by Apelles, the premier painter of the ancient world, but is radically different from classical prototypes. Instead of reporting what eyes could see, the epigram presents a fantasy in the mind's eye. Poliziano did not keep this fantasy to himself; the Aldine Press included it in the collected works of Poliziano, thus indicating its accessibility.1 This raises compelling questions: did Poliziano share his fantasy with Botticelli and thus influence The Birth of Venus? Charles Dempsey has presented extensive evidence in support of his claim that Poliziano's influence on Botticelli was through direct communication as well as through finished poetry.2 Knowing that Botticelli was drawing inspiration from Le Stanze per la Giostra for The Birth of Venus, would Poliziano withhold the ideas expressed in Kupris Anadyomene? Most of the enormous literature concerning Botticelli's paintings of Venus comprises a debate about which literary and philosophical texts can be related to them. Kupris Anadyomene is more than another text to be considered in this perennial debate, since it reveals so much about how Poliziano dealt empathetic ally as well as intellectually with both texts and images. It is known that he wrote erotic Greek epigrams early in his career.

Literary Loves as Cycles: from Meleager to Ovid

Maria Ypsilanti (Nicosie), Literary Loves as Cycles : From Meleager to Ovid. The importance of Meleager for later Greek and Roman erotic poetry is well known. The present paper offers observations on the cyclical approach by Meleager in his poems on girls and boys and, within this, his pair-of-epigrams technique. A comparison with similar techniques in later Greek epigrams and Roman erotic poetry of the first century B.C. allows a greater appreciation of Meleager's importance and influence on later poets and reveals the manner and the extent to which his poetic works have inspired and constituted a guide for Latin love poetry.

Consolation and a parable: two contacts between Ancient Greece and Buddhists

Ancient Greek and Roman conventional consolations of mourners are not reflected in Buddhist texts. Reason should modify grief, but the Buddha's ‘consolation’ of Visākhā by blaming her ‘affection’ is crude. Kisā Gotamī was consoled by the Buddha's asking her to get mustard seed from homes where no son, etc., had died, a technique employed by Democritus of Abderaj by Demonax, and in the Alexander Romance. The maxim of the Lame and the Blind figures in Indian philosophy, known to Buddhists. It appears in first-century Greek epigrams, and later Jewish texts a propos of resurrection. Movements of detail from West to East and vice versa are thus illustrated. Therefore the evangelists' and Buddhists' ideas could have been exchanged, despite pertinacious denials.

Greek Epigrams and Manuscripts of Damiano Guidotto of Venice

Greek Epigrams and Manuscripts of Damiano Guidotto of Venice