Hellenistic Epigrams
A Selection

This edition with commentary covers a wide selection of Hellenistic epigrams in a way suitable for both students and scholars.

Alexander Sens (Edited by)

9780521614818, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 19 November 2020

312 pages
21.6 x 13.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.39 kg

'… this commentary is a valuable contribution that should be useful to both students and established scholars. The text would be very well suited for use in an upper-level reading course or perhaps a graduate-level proseminar and will hopefully invite new scholars into the exciting world of Hellenistic epigram.' Matthew Chaldekas, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Greek 'literary' epigrams constitute one of the most versatile and dynamic poetic forms in the Hellenistic period. Originally modeled on the anonymous epitaphs and dedications inscribed on monuments throughout antiquity, these short poems came to include a variety of subtypes and served as a vehicle for Hellenistic poets to experiment with themes and motifs from other genres. This edition introduces students to a wide selection of epigrams from the third and second centuries BCE. It provides substantial help in construing the Greek and will be appropriate for those approaching the genre for the first time, whilst also containing material of interest to scholars. It includes work by the most important epigrammatists of this period, with substantial attention paid to the way these poets engage with the epigraphic and literary traditions. The Introduction provides an overview of the history of the genre and of its formal features, including dialect and meter.

Introduction: 1. The Origins of Literary Epigram
2. 'Genres' of Hellenistic Epigram
3. 'Fictive' and 'Inscribed' Epigrams
4. Formal and Literary Aspects of Hellenistic Epigrams
5. Transmission
6. Organizing Principles of this Anthology
Epigrams
Commentary.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]