1. The Many and Conflicting Meanings of Σοφιστής Most modern treatments of the sophists assert that there existed in fifth- and fourth-century Greece a distinct group of individuals called sophists (σοφισταί). [1] Such studies often mention in passing that the term had an earlier, less pejorative undertone, but that by the end of the fifth century a new class of people had… Read more
2. Wisdom for Sale? The Sophists and Money Plato constantly accuses the sophists of teaching for money. For example, in the Hippias Major (282c–d) Socrates elaborates a distinction between the wise men of old, who did not think it right to charge fees, and the sophists of his own day, who all made huge profits from their instruction. This comparison is not incidental; it is absolutely integral to Plato’s characterization of the… Read more
3. Sophoi and Concord In this chapter we shall examine the theme of concord (ὁμόνοια), which figures so prominently in the sources on the sophists. The aim is to advance our understanding of this concept beyond Kerferd’s pessimistic verdict: “It is … a matter for regret that it is simply not possible to recover the history of the term in fifth-century thought.” [1]… Read more
Appendices Appendix I Ethnographically speaking, the relation of a rumor to an eyewitness account is not generally straightforward, as J. Vansina observes: “Very often, one can no longer ascertain whether the rumor derives from an eyewitness account or not. In most cases internal evidence itself will have to guide us . . . ” (1985:6). Apart from this uncertainty we must also reckon with the element… Read more
Bibliography Alden, M. J. 2000. Homer beside Himself: Para-Narratives in the Iliad. Oxford. Allione, L. 1963. Telemaco e Penelope nell’ ‘Odissea’. Turin. Antonaccio, C. 1993. “The Archaeology of Ancestors.” Cultural Poetics in Archaic Greece: Cult, Performance, Politics (eds. C. Dougherty and L. Kurke) 46–70. Cambridge. Apthorp, M. J. 1980. “The Obstacles to Telemachus’ Return.”… Read more
Dedication To the memory of my grandparents, Maria and Mendel. Acknowledgments A fellowship from the Loeb Library Foundation in 2005 gave me time to imagine the overall shape of the book so that writing could begin in earnest. The Department of Classics at the University of Washington has been a wonderfully collegial and supportive place to work. I am grateful in particular to Stephen Hinds,… Read more
Introduction [In this on-line version, the page-numbers of the printed version are indicated within braces (“{” and “}”). For example, “{69|70}” indicates where p. 69 of the printed version ends and p. 70 begins. These indications will be useful to readers who need to look up references made elsewhere to the printed version of this book.] This book is about the poetics of myth in a… Read more
Part 1. Odysseus Chapter 1. Beginning of the Dialogue: Setting up the Third Cretan Lie The dialogue in Book 19 stands out among the conversations in the Odyssey not only because of its length, but also because it is attempted, announced, and prepared so far in advance of the event. Not even the preliminaries of Odysseus’ supplication of Arete, also a crucial and pre-arranged moment in the poem, can compare to the elaborateness and… Read more
Chapter 2. The Name The name Aithon by which Odysseus introduces himself to Penelope is significant, just as his other assumed names in the Odyssey are. The word itself, αἴθων, is a nasal derivative from the root of αἴθομαι/αἴθω, ‘to burn’, and its essential meaning is ‘burning’ or ‘fiery’. Although it is often conventionally translated as ‘reddish brown’, in Homer and archaic poetry the adjective is not a… Read more
Chapter 3. Zeus and the King Odysseus appears before Penelope as a long-suffering wanderer, and his rhetoric, including his assumed name, underscores his displacement from the aristocratic position in life that he once occupied. And yet Aithon’s biography also serves to emphasize just how aristocratic, or, more precisely, how king-like that position actually was. The conceit of the Odyssey is that its hero is intrinsically a king, and recognizable as… Read more
