Kinyras: The Divine Lyre

  Franklin, John Curtis. 2016. Kinyras: The Divine Lyre. Hellenic Studies Series 70. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.ebook:CHS_FranklinJ.Kinyras.2016.


Appendix B. Ptolemy Khennos as a Source for the Contest of Kinyras and Apollo

The Novel History (Kainḕ Historía) by the early imperial wondermonger Ptolemy ‘The Quail’ Khennos is known mainly from a terse epitome by Photios, but was equally available to Eustathios, who reproduces a dozen episodes in fuller detail without naming his source (n.b.). [1] That Eustathios could have seen further material not mentioned by Photios is made possible by Tzetzes, who knew an episode absent from the epitome. [2]

The contest of Kinyras and Apollo would fit perfectly into this portfolio. Following the hypothesis we would then suppose that Eustathios fleshed out the notice in the Homeric scholia by restoring further details from direct consultation of Ptolemy, notably the derivation from kinýra of Kinyras and kinȳ´resthai (in connection with the hero’s daughters mourning his death?).

Footnotes

[ back ] 1. Photios Library 146a40–153b29. See van der Valk 1971–1987:CIX § 111–112; Chatzis 1914 (with the versions of Photios and Eustathios in parallel); Cameron 2004:135.

[ back ] 2. Ptolemy Khennos fr. 1 (Chatzis 1914:46, cf. XLI) = John Tzetzes Khiliades 8.195, lines 368–380.

[ back ] 3. For a clear case, see Cameron 2004:137–142.

[ back ] 4. This view is often taken by Tomberg 1968, e.g. on the Adonis material (see next note) and on the ‘piping Odysseus’ (193–194, with the further observations of Power 2012).

[ back ] 5. Photios Library 146b41–147a2, 151b5–7, 153a11–23, with comments of Tomberg 1968:194–195n144, 197n150, 150–151n5, respectively.

[ back ] 6. Photios Library 150a12–19 (goofing on Homer Odyssey 11.134, Odysseus’ death ἐξ ἁλóς), 147b34–36. See further Tomberg 1968:94–99.

[ back ] 7. Skindapsos: Photios Library 152b20–25 (for the instrument, SIAG:185–186; AGM:60); Marsyas: 149a5–8; Pythian contest: 153a1–5; piping Odysseus: 152b32–36, with Power 2012; songs/cities: 148a410–411.