Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus PDF
Preview Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus
The Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature In honor of beloved Virgil— “O degli altri poeti onore e lume . . .” —Dante, Inferno The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution to this book provided by the Classical Literature Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Associates, which is supported by a major gift from Joan Palevsky. Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus Theocritus Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus Text and Translation with Introduction and Commentary by Richard Hunter UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles London HELLENISTIC CULTURE AND SOCIETY, 39 University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England © 2003 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Theocritus. [Idylls. 17. English] Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus / Theocritus ; text and translation with an introduction and commentary by Richard Hunter. p. cm.— (Hellenistic culture and society ; 39) Includes bibliographical references (p.) and indexes. isbn0–520–23560–6 (alk. paper) 1. Ptolemy II Philadelphus, King of Egypt—Poetry. I. Hunter, R.L. (Richard L.). II. Title. III. Series. pa4442 .c617 2003 884'.01—dc21 2002073272 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper used in this publication is both acid-free and totally chlorine-free (TCF). It meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso z39.48–1992 (R 1997) (Permanence ofPaper).8 CONTENTS Preface vii Conventions and Abbreviations ix INTRODUCTION 1 1. Beginning from Zeus 1 2. Genre 8 3. Poets and Patrons 24 4. An Egyptian Dimension? 46 5. The Language of the Encomium 53 6. The Meter of the Encomium 64 7. A Note on the Transmission of the Text 70 SIGLA 73 Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus 76 theocritus COMMENTARY 93 References 201 General Index 219 Index of Greek Words 223 Index Locorum 225 PREFACE Theocritus’s Encomium of Ptolemyis not one of his best-known or most-admired poems, but these are exciting times for the study of Ptolemaic culture, and the need for a new study of this poem seemed, at least to me, self-evident. How far this book goes toward filling that need is a matter for others. The preparation of this book has taken me into scholarly areas where I am, at best, a novice, and the advice of friends has been more than ever important. Kathryn Gutzwiller, John Ma, Katja Mueller, Susan Stephens, and Dorothy Thompson all read ear- lier versions of some or all of the typescript, and their observa- tions, corrections, and encouragement have been invaluable. I would also like to thank Kate Toll of the University of California Press for her enthusiastic support. vii
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