Chapters

Book Chapter

13. Beate Dignas, Posidippus and the Mysteries: Epitymbia Read by the Ancient Historian

13. Posidippus and the Mysteries: Epitymbia Read by the Ancient Historian Beate Dignas, University of Michigan Grave Inscriptions—Grave Epigrams Ancient historians and epigraphists rarely consider Hellenistic poetry in their research. Although literally transmitted funerary epigrams have been absorbed frequently in epigraphic corpora, skepticism prevails even with regard to this category. But neither Posidippus nor other Hellenistic poets, nor their impact on historical insights can be… Read more

Book Chapter

12. Susan Stephens, For You, Arsinoe …

12. For You, Arsinoe … Susan Stephens, Stanford University The recent publication of P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309 not only provides us with a substantial portion of an epigram collection from the early Hellenistic period, it allows us important new insights into the ways in which the images of the Ptolemaic monarchs were being integrated into contemporary poetry. At critical points throughout the collection we find discrete epigrams… Read more

Book Chapter

11. Manuel Baumbach, ‘Winged Words’: Poetry and Divination in Posidippus’ Oiônoskopika

11. ‘Winged Words’: Poetry and Divination in Posidippus’ Oiônoskopika [*] Manuel Baumbach, University of Heidelberg Kai Trampedach, University of Konstanz ὄρνιθες δέ τε πολλοὶ ὑπ᾿ αὐγὰς ἠελίοιοφοιτῶσ᾿, οὐδέ τε πάντες ἐναίσιμοι [1] … Odyssey ii 181–182 Bird-augury is one of the oldest mantic practices found in… Read more

Book Chapter

10. David Schur, A Garland of Stones: Hellenistic Lithika as Reflections on Poetic Transformation

10. A Garland of Stones: Hellenistic Lithika as Reflections on Poetic Transformation David Schur, Miami University, Ohio Drawing inspiration from the importance of floral metaphors for poetry in the Western literary tradition and in our conception of the Hellenistic epigram tradition particularly, I think it would be worthwhile to consider the relationship between stones and poetry; more specifically, the conceit that likens stones or gemstones to… Read more

Book Chapter

9. Martyn Smith, Elusive Stones: Reading Posidippus’ Lithika through Technical Writing on Stones

9. Elusive Stones: Reading Posidippus’ Lithika through Technical Writing on Stones Martyn Smith, Emory University Posidippus [1] writes with an acute sense of the exceptional. In several places within the Lithika section of the new papyrus he highlights the “marvel” or “wonder” resulting from a stone. [2] The stones selected by Posidippus include sapeiron (AB 5.1), beryllion… Read more

Book Chapter

8. Richard Hunter, Notes on the Lithika of Posidippus

8. Notes on the Lithika of Posidippus [1] Richard Hunter, University of Cambridge The first group of epigrams is one of many surprises on the Milan papyrus, though perhaps it should not have been so. Lithika is indeed a genre not previously well attested at so early a date, [2] although the considerable interest in precious… Read more

Book Chapter

7. Kathryn Gutzwiller, A New Hellenistic Poetry Book: P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309

7. A New Hellenistic Poetry Book: P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309 [1] Kathryn Gutzwiller, University of Cincinnati The earliest Greek poetry books come from the third century BCE, and surviving examples include Callimachus’ Iambi and Aetia and Herodas’ Mimiambi, known from papyrus, and a few manuscript possibilities, such as Callimachus’ Hymns and portions of Theocritus. Collections of epigrams were also among the earliest… Read more

Book Chapter

6. Alexander Sens, Doricisms in the New and Old Posidippus

6. Doricisms in the New and Old Posidippus [1] Alexander Sens, Georgetown University Introduction Posidippus AB 139 (8 GP = AP XII 131) is a prayer for Aphrodite to favor a woman named Callistium: ἃ Κύπρον ἅ τε Κύθηρα καὶ ἃ Μίλητον ἐποιχνεῖς      καὶ καλὸν Συρίης ἱπποκρότου δάπεδον,ἔλθοις ἵλαος Καλλιστίῳ, ἣ τὸν ἐραστὴν     οὐδέποτ᾿… Read more

Book Chapter

5. Gregory Nagy, Homeric Echoes in Posidippus

5. Homeric Echoes in Posidippus Gregory Nagy, Harvard University The word ‘echoes’ in the title is meant as a substitute for ‘allusions’, which is inadequate for conveying the awareness of Homeric poetry in the poetics of Posidippus. The subtle ways in which Posidippus demonstrates this awareness reveal an understanding of Homeric poetry that transcends conventional views in later eras, as typified by Aristarchus of Alexandria in… Read more

Book Chapter

4. Benjamin Acosta-Hughes, Alexandrian Posidippus: On Rereading the GP Epigrams in Light of P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309

4. Alexandrian Posidippus: On Rereading the GP Epigrams in Light of P.Mil.Vogl. VIII 309 Benjamin Acosta-Hughes, University of Michigan A Poem Commemorates Δωρίχα, ὀστέα μὲν σὰ παλαὶ κόνις ἠδ᾿ ἀναδεσμός [1]      χαίτης ἥ τε μύρων ἔκπνοος ἀμπεχόνη,ᾗ ποτε τὸν χαρίεντα περιστέλλουσα Χάραξον      σύγχρους ὀρθρινῶν ἥψαο κισσυβίων·Σαπφῷαι δὲ μένουσι φίλης ἔτι καὶ… Read more