Chapter 6. The Dorianization of the Messenians Jonathan M. Hall It is an axiom of recent scholarship that the primordial and essential identity proclaimed by an ethnic group may often be a recent and illusory fiction, forged in the context of—and in response to—precise historical circumstances, but this view was actually anticipated already in 1922 by Max Weber, who emphasized that subjective beliefs in common descent… Read more
16. Constructing Legitimacy: The Ptolemaic Familiengruppe as a Means of Self-Definition in Posidippus’ Hippika [1] Elizabeth Kosmetatou, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Scholarly interest in the Hellenistic epigram has recently soared, and important studies have been published on its specific characteristics, context, models, and development. [2] Of particular relevance is the ongoing vivid discussion of the process… Read more
17. Reading as Seeing: P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309 and Greek Art Nassos Papalexandrou, University of Texas at Austin O Queen of Egypt with the lovely brow—To you—thou smilest and to me it seemsThe earth has owned but one such smile; ’twas thouVisitedst Lionardo in his dreams. (Kenyon Cox 1888) This essay is motivated by a fascinating collection… Read more
18. “Drownded in the Tide”: The Nauagika and Some “Problems” in Augustan Poetry [1] Richard F. Thomas, Harvard University Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead,Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swellAnd the profit and loss. A current under seaPicked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fellHe… Read more
19. Posidippus’ Iamatika [1] Peter Bing, Emory University The Milan papyrus confronts its modern readers with many surprises, among them—due to its singular subject matter—the short section entitled ἰαματικά (AB 95–101). To help us get our bearings in the terrain of this extraordinary new text, I want in this paper to pose some rudimentary questions such as the following: … Read more
20. ‘Tropoi’ (Posidippus AB 102–103) Dirk Obbink, University of Oxford The section comprising the eight poems following col. xv 23 in P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309 (Posidippus AB 102–109) is headed by the sub-title Τρόποι. It comes late in the collection as preserved, but it was not its final one: the blank space left after AB 109 originally contained the heading of another section, now lost, but which may have… Read more
Afterword. An Archaeologist’s Perspective on the Milan Papyrus (P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309) Gail Hoffman, Boston College When I was asked to participate in a workshop on the new Milan papyrus (P.Mil.Vogl.VIII 309) with epigrams attributed to Posidippus, I wondered how an archaeologist, who generally works in the Early Iron Age (ca. 1100–700 BCE), could possibly contribute to a discussion about Hellenistic epigrams. However, as I have come… Read more
Posidippus Concordance Milan Papyrus Lithika AB 1 I 2–5AB 2 I 6–9AB 3 I 10–13AB 4 I 14–19AB 5 I 20–23AB 6 I 24–29AB 7 I 30–35AB 8 I 36–II 2AB 9 II 3–6AB 10 II 7–16AB 11 II 17–22AB 12 II 23–28AB 13 II 29–32AB 14 II 33–38AB 15 II 39–III… Read more
Bibliography Abbenes, J. G. J. 1996. “The Doric of Theocritus. A Literary Language.” In Harder, Regtuit, and Wakker 1996:1–17. Accorinti, D. and Chuvin, P., eds. 2003. Des Géants à Dionysos: Mélanges offerts à Francis Vian. Hellenica 10. Alessandria. Acosta-Hughes, B. 2002. Polyeideia—The Iambi of Callimachus and the Archaic Iambic Tradition. Berkeley. Acosta-Hughes, B., and… Read more
Figures Figure 1: Charioteer by Polyzalos. Delphi Museum. Fifth century BCE. Photo: courtesy of the Greek Archaeological Receipts Fund. Figure 2. Artemision Horse and Jockey. Second century BCE. Athens, National Museum, Br 15177. Photo: G. Hellner. Courtesy DAI Athens 1980/59 (height of jockey 84 cm; length of horse 250 cm). Figure 3. Emaciated man in bronze. Late Hellenistic period. Dumbarton Oaks 47.22. Photo: courtesy… Read more
