This edition collects all the epigrams attributed to Epicurean philosopher and poet Philodemos of Gadara (ca. 110-40 BC). In editing these epigrams, Sider has reexamined several manuscripts of the Greek Anthology. Thirty-eight epigrams (three only doubtfully Philodemean, and two spurious) are printed in the original Greek and in English translation, with full critical apparatus and commentary. Sider also includes the text of a recently edited papyrus containing fragments of many known and newly discovered epigrams by Philodemos. In addition to the usual issues involved in editing a Classical poet--i.e. the poet's life, his use of meter, the epigrammatic tradition, and the place of the epigrams in the Greek Anthology--Sider's introduction considers the relationship between Philodemos' philosophy and poetry. He explains how the epigrams fit into the literary views expressed in Philodemos' On Poems and how they clashed with the Epicurean stance against the writing of poetry.

The Epigrams of Philodemos: Introduction, Text, and Commentary

Literature & Fiction

Sider, David

History & Criticism

Oxford University Press

Simonides of Ceos, one of the nine lyric poets enshrined in what is conventionally thought of as the Hellenistic Lyric Canon, is a relatively mysterious figure despite his renown in the classical world. Few historical and biographical facts about him have survived, and only fragments of his non-epigrammatic poetry. This volume is intended to complement Orlando Poltera's full-scale text and commentary on Simonides' lyrics (Schwabe, 2008), offering an up-to-date edition and commentary covering, for the most part, those poems in elegiac distichs now called epigrams and elegies. In addition to these forms, Simonides wrote in a few other non-lyric metrical patterns involving dactyls and iambs: these are also included for the sake of completeness, since they are properly absent from Poltera's edition. As authenticity is in question for all but a very few of the epigrams ascribed to Simonides, the volume's scope extends to cover every poem ascribed to him in antiquity, including some poems that are surely not by him: these poems have never before been treated in such detail and the large body of scholarship generated by the corpus as a whole is taken into account here for the first time. Each poem and fragment is accompanied by a new English translation, where applicable, and detailed exegetic line-by-line commentary; a comprehensive general Introduction sets Simonides and his works into their historical context and provides a thorough examination of the textual transmission of the elegies and epigrams.

Simonides: Epigrams and Elegies: Edited with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1846. Excerpt: ... With toilsome chase of Hector, thrice around 90 The wind-swept walls of Ilion. As he lay, The mournful ghost of his departed friend Before him rose;f in all things like the man; In stature, pleasing countenance and voice, And garments such as living he had worn. 95 It stood above his head, and thus address'd The slumb'ring hero: Sleepest thou, of me Forgetful, my Achilles? When alive, Neglect from thee I knew not; but, when dead, Forgotten is thy friend! My fun'ral rites 100 Perform, that speedily I may the gates Of Hades enter. Now, unpitying ghosts, Pale shadows of departed men, repulse And drive me far away, allowing not To find repose upon the farther shore 105 Of that infernal river. Vainly now, Round the wide-portall'd court of Pluto's hall, I restless wander. Give me but thy hand, I beg thee, sorrowing; for never more Shall I return from Hades to the light, no When fun'ral flames my body have consum'd. Ah! then, no longer shall we sit together, (As erst when living,) from all other friends Retir'd, with pleasant intercourse of souls Conferring and advising.11 Cruel fate 115 Has swallow'd me within her dark abyss; The fate assign'd me on my day of birth! And thee, Achilles, glorious as the gods, The same dire fate attends; to perish here, Under the ramparts of the Trojans bold. 120 Another thing I charge thee, and implore, (Neglect not thou Patroclus' last request,) Let not my bones remain apart from thine, But intermingled; for together we Were in your mansion bred, when me, a boy, 125 My father brought from home, for homicide Deplorable, effect of evil chance, That fatal day, when in my wrath, at quoits, I slew without design, the luckless son Of old Amphidamas:1 thy father then 130 Receiv'd me in his house, and cherish'd me 'With kind regard, and...

Homer's Iliad

Education & Teaching

Konstan, David

Brodwin, Stanley

Studying & Workbooks

Monarch Notes

Homer's Iliad (Monarch notes)

Genre Fiction

Barnes&Noble Books

The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii in A.D. 79 also buried nearby Herculaneum. Over time the location of the small town was forgotten. Shortly after its rediscovery in the 1730s, excavations--more likely treasure hunts--were organized that unearthed ancient sculptures that had survived the disaster. The richest finds were from a villa that came to be called the Villa dei Papiri, because it also yielded upward of a thousand papyrus rolls--the only library ever to have been recovered from the classical world. To the great excitement of contemporaries, the papyri held out the tantalizing possibility of the rediscovery of lost masterpieces by classical writers. Written for the general reader, this introduction to the ancient library describes the long and difficult history of attempts to unwind the damaged rolls. Sider discusses the texts that have been deciphered and puts them in the context of literacy and Roman society of the time. He describes the how the ancient books were created from papyrus, and provides an account of attitudes toward books in Greece and Rome. He also surveys the private and civic libraries of the ancient world. This thoroughly researched and engaging book will be enjoyed by any reader with an interest in classical studies.

The Library of the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum

Arts & Photography

J.paul Getty Museum

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