I.2. Physical Evidence of the Hero To specify certain masculine values, I will endeavor in this chapter to provide an account of the bodily information that the poet provides about his heroes. This examination will not be a question of prescribing “Homeric medicine,” but of the image of the warrior’s body as it is represented in the Iliad. This approach is somewhat complex; in fact, to speak… Read more
Preface This is the third installment in my series of commentaries (which began with The Theban Epics [2015] and continued with The Aethiopis [2016]) on the fragments of the Epic Cycle. There is now, of course, an excellent introduction to the whole topic in the form of the late Martin West’s The Epic Cycle (Oxford 2013), which displays his genius at full stretch, especially his inerring ability… Read more
Abbreviations of Frequently Cited Works ABV = J. D. Beazley, Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters (Oxford 1956) ARV2 = J. D. Beazley, Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters, 2nd ed. (Oxford 1963) BKT 5.1 = Berliner Klassikertexte 5: Griechische Dichterfragmente: Teil 1, Epische und elegische Fragmente, ed. W. Schubert and U. von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff (Berlin 1907) Davies, Aethiopis = M. Davies,… Read more
Introduction: Background Authorship T1 Aelian Aelian Varia historia 9.15 (p. 106 Dilts) λέγεται δἑ κἀκεῖνο πρὸς τούτοις, ὅτι ἄρα ἀπορῶν (scil. Ὅμηρος) ἐκδοῦναι τὴν θυγατέρα ἔδωκεν ἀυτῆι προῖκα ἔχειν τὰ ἔπη τὰ Κύπρια. καὶ ὁμολογεῖ τoῦτο Πίνδαρος (fr. 265 Sn.). The further point is made that Homer, being at a loss as to how to give his daughter away in marriage, gave as dowry… Read more
1. The Origins of the Trojan War From Zeus’ Plan to Eris’ Intervention F1 Scholion on Iliad I 5 Σ Α Iliad I 5 (1.45 sq. van Thiel) Διὸς δ’ ἐτελείετο βουλή· Διὸς βουλὴν οἱ μὲν τὴν εἱμαρμένην ἀπέδοσαν … ἄλλοι δὲ ἀπὸ ἱστορίας τινὸς εἶπον εἰρηκέναι τὸν Ὅμηρον· φασὶ γὰρ τὴν Γῆν βαρουμένην ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων πολυπληθίας, μηδεμιᾶς ἀνθρώπων οὔσης εὐσεβείας, αἰτῆσαι τὸν Δία κουφισθῆναι… Read more
2. The Assembling of the Expedition Proclus Chrestomathia: καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Ἴρις ἀναγγέλλει τῶι Μενελάωι τὰ γεγονότα κατὰ τὸν οἶκον, ὁ δὲ παραγενόμεvoς περὶ τῆς ἐπ’ Ἴλιον στρατείας βουλεύεται μετὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ … And after this, Iris reports to Menelaus what has happened in his house, and he arrives at his brother Agamemnon’s home and consults with him regarding the planned expedition against Troy. Iris regularly… Read more
3. Two Retardations: Telephus and Teuthrania; Iphigenia at Aulis As the climactic sack of Troy will be delayed by various narrative strategies—the fetching to Troy of Neoptolemus, and of Philoctetes with the bow and arrows that once belonged to Heracles, the stealing of the palladium—so before the Trojan War proper could start, similar postponements were in operation. The device of narrative retardation has its roots in folktale… Read more
4. The Arrival at Troy Proclus Chrestomathia: ἔπειτα καταπλέουσιν εἰς Τένεδον. Then they sail to Tenedos. Apollodorus Epitome 3.23–26: οἱ δὲ ἀναχθέντες ἐξ Αὐλίδος προσέσχον Τενέδωι. ταύτης ἐβασίλευε Τένης ὁ Κύκνου καὶ Προκλείας, ὡς δὲ τινες Ἀπόλλωνος … [1] προσπλέοντας οὖν Τενέδωι τοὺς Ἕλληνας ὁρῶν Τένης ἀπεῖργε βάλλων πέτρους καὶ ὑπὸ Ἀχιλλέως ξίφει πληγεὶς κατὰ τὸ στῆθος θνηίσκει, καίτοι Θέτιδος προειπούσης Ἀχιλλεῖ… Read more
5. Nine Years of War Proclus Chrestomathia: καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Ἀχιλλεὺς Ἑλένην ἐπιθυμεῖ θεάσασθαι, καὶ συνήγαγεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ Ἀφροδίτη καὶ Θέτις. εἶτα ἀπονοστεῖν ὡρμημένους τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς Ἀχιλλεὺς κατέχει. After this, Achilles desires to see Helen, and Aphrodite and Thetis bring the two together to the same locale. Then, when the Greeks are eager to return home, Achilles checks them. This is a striking and… Read more
6. Fragments of Uncertain Location F24 Plato Plato Euthyphr o 12Α λέγω γὰρ δὴ τὸ ἐναντίον ἢ ὁ ποιητὴς ἐποίησεν ὁ ποιήσας· Ζῆνα δὲ τὸν ἔρξαντα καὶ ὃς τάδε πάντ’ ἐφύτευσενοὐκ ἐθέλεις εἰπεῖν· ἵνα γὰρ δέος ἔνθα καὶ αἰδώς. ἐγὼ οὖν τούτωι διαφέρομαι τῶι ποιητῆι. Σ Τ ad loc. (p. 3 Greene) ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ φόβον… Read more
