The Original Verses of Apollodorus' ›Chronica‹ : Edition, Translation and Commentary on the First Iambic Didactic Poem in the Light of New Evidence

Arma virumque cecinit versibus heroicis ille notus vates et celeberrimus princeps poetarum Latinorum, quos omnes studiosi mirantes non ignorant. Plures autem omnino eruditi ignorare videntur primum modis iambicis factum carmen docens legentes, in quo Apollodorus Atheniensis quasi etiam arma virosque cecinit. Illud latum carmen docens celebratissimum historiam mundi totius a deletione Troiae opulentae usque ad dies Apollodori ipsius in lingua Graeca eleganter copiose diserte exponens Chronica inscriptum est. Apollodorus, cui cognomen propter opera grammaticus est, carmen docens iambicis versibus modulari coepit, cum rite priores poetae docentes Hesiodum imitantes heroicos versus praeposuissent; innumerabiles auctores Latini et Graeci id opus magnum Apollodori in quattuor voluminibus singulis consistens scrutati solum illas partes tradiderunt, quae suis excerptis usui fuerunt. Nihilominus plerique eorum versus iambicos Chronicorum requisitos, quamvis elegantes et dictioni prosaicae similes et haudquaquam suavem narrationem factorum perturbantes, in rebus historicis explicandis non utiles esse censuerunt aliis causis accedentibus, ut solum pauci versus veri et statu incorrupti ad tempora nostra transmitterentur. Permulti illorum versuum Chronicorum in papyro Herculanensi auctore Philodemo vitas et nomina virorum horum olim praestantium Academiae nobis praebente servati sunt, quae nunc retegentibus invisibilia machinis planius legi et melius transcribi potest. Versus operis etiam in aliis scriptoribus reperiuntur. Numquam editor nostrae aetatis non rudes versus reliquos collegit, edidit, in linguam hodiernam traduxit atque illustrans annotavit, etiamsi non dubium est, quin versus quidem Chronicorum, carminis docentis iambici primi, occupatione laboribusque digni sint. Qua de re omnibus versibus relictis studens eum librum in publicum producere ausus sum; reprehenderer, si ulterius loquerer. Hic enim non locus disserendi de Chronicis, utilitate versuum, Apollodoro et auctoribus aliis est, de quibus lingua Britannica melius tractetur, sed collegis me in scribendo libro adiuvantibus gratiam agendi. Primum mentionem professoris egregii Robert Fowler, emeriti universitatis Bristoliensis et editoris seriei Sozomena auctoritate societatis Herculanensis (Herculaneum society) auspicatae facere decet, qui utilia sagaci mente suadens librum in statum meliorem redegerit. Deinceps Nigel Wilson, philologi Oxoniensis nobilissimi et amici per multos annos honesti, oblivisci nefas esset, praesertim cum eum librum aliis editoribus proponeret et semper mihi subsidio esset. Etiam Dirk Obbink, editor et papyrologus, non silentio praetereundus est, qui magna benevolentia me saepe in universitate Oxoniensi morantem memor amicitiae papyrologorum suppeditavit et sponsor collegio medio Aedis Christi (GCR-ChCh) pro tempore adiunxit. Denique professoribus Tobias Reinhardt et Jeffrey

The Chronica by the grammarian Apollodorus of Athens (2nd century BC) was an exemplary chronographical reference work. It was composed in trimeters and represents the first Iambic didactic poem ever. So far, the surviving original verses have hardly been appreciated and analyzed in their own terms. Therefore a comprehensive collection of these verses is provided, including an introduction, edition, translation and commentary. Most verses stem from Philodemus' Index Academicorum, a Herculanean papyrus. Through the use of new imaging techniques and cutting-edge editing methods, enormous textual progress has been made. Many verses have been newly restored or significantly improved. They often reveal new hard facts about Academic philosophers and also bear some relevance for the dating of the Chronica and for Apollodorus' biography. In short, this collection guarantees easy access to the genuine verses of the Chronica, as originally drafted by Apollodorus, and thereby facilitates a contextualization or comparison with other (Iambic) didactic poems on a dramatically changed textual basis. The scope of the book fulfills various scholarly desiderata from a historical, philosophical, philological and literary-critical standpoint.

"Sozomena" bedeutet auf Griechisch "Gerettetes". Die Reihe widmet sich der Erschließung von Texten, die aus der griechischen und römischen Antike nur durch ausserordentliche Fund-Umstände erhalten geblieben sind - allen voran durch Papyri, von denen Tausende in Universitäten und Bibliotheken unentziffert vorhanden sind. Die Reihe soll hauptsächlich Texte edieren und interpretieren, aber auch die Methoden der Erschließung diskutieren. Verschiedene Buchtypen werden daher hier veröffentlicht: Texteditionen, Kommentare, Monographien und Sammelbände. Die Hauptsprache der Publikationen ist Englisch, daneben auch Deutsch und Italienisch. Herausgegeben werden die Sozomena von Alessandro Barchiesi (Harvard, MA), Robert Fowler (Bristol), Lucia Prauscello (Oxford) und Nigel Wilson (Oxford) im Namen der Herculaneum Society, die zur Förderung der Erschließung des wichtigsten Fundkomplexes antiker Papyri gegründet wurde: der Villa dei Papiri im Pompeji benachbarten antiken Herculaneum mit ihren zum Teil noch nicht ausgegrabenen Schätzen an Textrollen. Sozomena Means Saved In Greek. The Series Is Dedicated To The Recovery And Presentation Of Texts That Have Only Survived From Greek Or Roman Antiquity Thanks To Extraordinary Find Circumstances. It Is Primarily Concerned With Papyri, Thousands Of Which Await Deciphering In Universities And Libraries. The Primary Intention Of The Series Is To Edit And Interpret Texts, But Methods Of Recovery And Presentation Will Also Be Discussed, So That Different Types Of Books Will Be Published: Editions Of Texts, Commentaries, Monographs And Collections. The Main Language Is English, Together With German And Italian.