Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus

244 Pages·2003·0.979 MB·English

by  Theocritus, Hunter Richard(L);Translator/Editor

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