The Epigrams of Philodemos: Introduction, Text, and Commentary

272 Pages·1996·14.591 MB·English

by  Philodemus, Gadarensis Philodemus, Sider, David

THE EPIGRAMS
OF PHILODEMOS
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THE EPIGRAMS
OF PHILODEMOS
Introduction, Text, and Commentary
DAVID SIDER
New York Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1997
Oxford University Press
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Copyright © 1997 by Oxford University Press
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Philodemus, ca. 110-ca. 40 B.C.
[Epigrammata. English]
The epigrams of Philodemos / introduction, [translation of] text,
and commentary by David Sider.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-19-509982-6
1. Epigrams, Greek—Translations into English. I. Sider, David.
II. Title.
PA4271.P3A27 1997
871'.01—dc20 96-21919
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 42
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
P R E F A CE
A new edition of Philodemos needs little justification. Among the very best of
the epigrammatists gathered by Philip of Thessalonica, an associate of Vergil and
other Latin poets, and a literary critic, Philodemos has received only one sepa-
rate edition and commentary, that of Kaibel in 1885, a brief Programmschrift of
27 pages, not much longer than the space allotted him by Gow and Page and earlier
commentators of the Greek Anthology. Kaibel furthermore omitted or discussed
only briefly a number of poems whose erotic contents he thought unworthy of
Philodemos, even though Cicero tells us that Philodemos' poems were full of such
themes.
In this edition, on the other hand, not only do I print and comment on all the
poems ascribed to Philodemos (including several about which there are some doubts
and two which are clearly not by him), I have also had the opportunity to treat a
recently published papyrus which contains a list of incipits to many poems known
to belong to Philodemos and, it seems, to many more which may also belong to
him. I have also attempted to do what earlier editors have done only occasionally
(Marcello Gigante being the most noteworthy of exceptions), that is to assess
Philodemos' epigrams in the light of his Epicureanism, and especially his writings
on the nature of poetry.
In brief, Philodemos is not only among the very best epigrammatists of the first
century B.C. (there admittedly being little competition), he is, thanks to the acci-
dent of Vesuvius, now our source of much Hellenistic speculation (some of it his
own) on the nature of poetry. And as both poet and Epicurean he had several famous
followers among the Italians of his day and later, not least among them Vergil and
vi Preface
Horace. It is time, therefore, to take stock of the scholarship of the last 110 years,
and to offer a new text and commentary of this poet.
Mindful of all the flaws which doubtless remain, and remain mine alone, I would
nonetheless like to thank the many people who have removed even more, or who
have provided access to materials: Elizabeth Asmis, Alan Cameron, Tiziano Dorandi,
Clarence Glad, A. H. Griffiths, Dirk Obbink, Peter Parsons, and Anastasia Sum-
mers for letting me see work in advance of publication; Rosario Pintaudi and Dirk
Obbink for answering papyrological questions; Alan Cameron, Diskin Clay, Chris-
topher Faraone, Anthony Grafton, Thomas Hillman, Ludwig Koenen, Nita Krevans,
Dennis Looney, Georg Luck, Myles McDonnell, Richard Mason, Carol Mattusch,
J0rgen Mejer, Dirk Obbink, Matthew Santirocco, Alan Shapiro, and Jacob Stern
for comments on earlier stages of various sections; Gerhard Koeppel, Amy Richlin,
Roger Bagnall, and David Konstan for the opportunity to try out some ideas before
critically receptive audiences in Rome, Lehigh, New York, and Providence; the
librarians of Fordham and Columbia Universities for all the aid that professionals
can and do cheerfully provide; and the several manuscript and rare-book librar-
ians in the United States and Europe who provided me with access to and copies of
their rare and unique material; Fordham University for providing much needed
support and leave for writing and travel to libraries; and my immediate predeces-
sors in the study of Philodemos' epigrams, chiefly A. S. F. Gow, D. L. Page, and
Marcello Gigante, who are cited too much for where I disagree with them and not
enough for where I have learned from them. And over and above the several par-
ticular reasons given above for thanking Dirk Obbink, I am happy to add the many
conversations we have had over the past few years on numerous aspects of Philo-
demos' poetry and poetic theory. His advice, probably to my detriment not always
taken, has helped to give impetus and shape to my work.
The typescript of this book was submitted in the spring of 1994. After the read-
ers for Oxford University Press made many suggestions for improvement, it was
then my extreme good fortune to have as copyeditor the learned Leofranc Holford-
Strevens, whose keen eye caught errors of all sorts, from those of punctuation to
even more embarrassing scholarly gaps and lapses. Although his name is recorded
here only to credit him with some conjectures in Greek texts, there are far more
places where my messy typescript benefited from his care. Nonetheless, for all the
help I have received from him and others, all errors that remain are to be charged
to me.
Bronx, New York D.S.
August 1996
C O N T E N TS
Abbreviations ix
INTRODUCTION 3
Life 3
On the Bay of Naples 12
Philodemos and the Epigram 24
Metrics 41
The Greek Anthology: Formation and MSS 45
About This Edition 54
CONCORDANCES 57
THE EPIGRAMS 61
Sigla 61
Text, Translation, and Commentary 62
P.OXY. 3724 203
TESTIMONIA AD PHILODEMUM PERTINENTIA 227
Bibliography 235
General Index 245
Index of the More Important Passages 248
Index of Greek Words 254
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A B B R E V I A T I O NS
AA Archaologischer Anzeiger
AGAW Abhandlung der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen
AlPhO Annuaire de I'Institut de Philologie et d'Histoire Orientale (Brussels)
AJP American Journal of Philology
ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der romischen Welt
AP Anthologia Palatina
API Anthologia Planudea
A&R Atene e Roma
Art G. Arrighetti: Epicuro, Opere, 2d ed. (Turin 1973)
AR W Archivfiir Religionswissenschaft
ASNP Annali della Scuola Normale di Pisa
BACAP Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy
BAGB Bulletin de I'Association G. Bude
BCH Bulletin de Correspondance Hellenique
BEFAR Bibliotheque des Ecoles Francaises d'Athenes et de Rome
BICS Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies
BIEH Boletin del Institute de Estudios Helenisticos
BMCR Bryn Mawr Classical Review
BPhW Berlinerphilologische Wochenschrift
CA Classical Antiquity
CEG P. A. Hansen, Carmina Epigraphica Graeca, 2 vol. (Berlin 1983-1989)
CErc Cronache Ercolanesi
CFC Cuadernos di Filologia Cldsica