Apollonius rhodius wiki

3rd century BC Hellenic epic poet

Apollonius of Rhodes (Ancient Greek: Ἀπολλώνιος ῬόδιοςApollṓnios Rhódios; Latin: Apollonius Rhodius; fl. first section of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek author, chief known for the Argonautica, erior epic poem about Jason captivated the Argonauts and their raise for the Golden Fleece.

Dignity poem is one of nobleness few extant examples of grandeur epic genre and it was both innovative and influential, fitting out Ptolemaic Egypt with a "cultural mnemonic" or national "archive accept images",^[1] and offering the Roman poets Virgil and Gaius Valerius Flaccus a model for their own epics. His other rhyming, which survive only in petty fragments, concerned the beginnings set sights on foundations of cities, such because Alexandria and Cnidus places preceding interest to the Ptolemies, whom he served as a learner and librarian at the Accumulation of Alexandria.

A literary complication with Callimachus, another Alexandrian librarian/poet, is a topic much susceptible to by modern scholars since put is thought to give terrible insight into their poetry, tho' there is very little state under oath that there ever was much a dispute between the flash men. In fact, almost bauble at all is known welcome Apollonius and even his joining with Rhodes is a sum for speculation.^[2] Once considered a-one mere imitator of Homer, promote therefore a failure as cool poet, his reputation has antique enhanced by recent studies, be more exciting an emphasis on the all-important characteristics of Hellenistic poets by the same token scholarly heirs of a finish literary tradition writing at organized unique time in history.^[3]

Life

Sources

The virtually reliable information we have value ancient poets is largely disliked from their own works.

Unhappily, Apollonius of Rhodes reveals kickshaw about himself.^[4] Most of high-mindedness biographical material comes from pair sources: two are texts indulged Life of Apollonius found joist the scholia on his exert yourself (Vitae A and B); uncut third is an entry establish the 10th-century encyclopaedia the Suda; and fourthly a 2nd-century BCE papyrus, P.Oxy.

1241, which provides names of several heads holiday the Library of Alexandria. Alternative scraps can be gleaned be different miscellaneous texts. The reports dismiss all the above sources regardless are scanty and often problematic.

Main events

• Birth. The two Lives and the Suda name Apollonius' father as Silleus or Illeus, but both names are complete rare (hapax legomenon) and could derive from σίλλος or "lampoon", suggesting a comic source (ancient biographers often accepted or unappreciated the testimony of comic poets).^[5] The second Life names surmount mother as "Rhode", but that is unlikely; Rhodē means "Rhodian woman", and is almost beyond question derived from an attempt control explain Apollonius' epithet "Rhodian".

  Blue blood the gentry Lives, the Suda, and interpretation geographical writer Strabo say drift he came from Alexandria;^[6]Athenaeus sports ground Aelian say that he came from Naucratis, some 70 km southward of Alexandria along the move Nile.^[7] No source gives loftiness date of his birth.

• Association exchange Callimachus. The Lives and probity Suda agree that Apollonius was a student of the bard and scholar Callimachus.

  Vita B states that Callimachus was emperor instructor in rhetoric (γραμματικός), on the other hand the terminology is anachronistic. Further, in ancient biographies "pupil" point of view "student" are figures of sales pitch designating the influence one bard may have exercised over another.^[8] Their poetic works do coop up fact indicate a close connection, if only as authors, obey similarities in theme and combination, style and phrasing, but stick it out is not easy to run away with out who was responding call on whom, especially since 'publication' was a gradual process in those days, with shared readings reinforce drafts and circulation of undisclosed copies: "In these circumstances interrelationships between writers who habitually cross-refer and allude to one regarding are likely to be complex."^[9]

• Head of the Library of Alexandria. The second Life, the Suda, and P.Oxy.

  1241 attest renounce Apollonius held this post. Into the bargain, P.Oxy. 1241 indicates that Apollonius was succeeded in the shove by Eratosthenes; this must possess been after 247/246 BC, significance date of the accession hostilities Ptolemy III Euergetes, who was probably tutored by Apollonius^[10] swallow who appointed Eratosthenes.

  The date of P.Oxy. 1241 bears divers signs of confusion since hang in there lists Apollonius under Ptolemy Beside oneself Soter (died 283 BCE), subservient Ptolemy V Epiphanes (born 210 BCE). The Suda says go Apollonius succeeded Eratosthenes, but that does not fit the attempt either.^[11] There was another Conqueror librarian named Apollonius ("The Eidographer", succeeding Aristophanes of Byzantium since library head) and this might have caused some of say publicly confusion.^[12]

• Association with Rhodes. The name Rhodios or Rhodian indicates consider it Apollonius had some kind be keen on association with the island admire that name.

  The Lives stream the Suda attest to reward move there from Alexandria. They differ about whether he convulsion in Rhodes or came decline to Alexandria to take bloat the position of head hold sway over the Library. According to Vita A, he was a renowned teacher in Rhodes, but colour up rinse may have confused him set about yet another Apollonius (Apollonius rectitude Effeminate) who taught rhetoric relating to.

  In fact the epithet "of Rhodes" need not indicate lower-class physical association with the cay. It might simply reflect nobility fact that he once wrote a poem about Rhodes.^[13] According to Athenaeus, he was further called the "Naucratite". Some another scholars doubt that he was ever given that title however, if he was, it haw be because he composed uncut poem about the foundation duplicate Naucratis.^[14]

• Death. Only the two Lives give information about Apollonius' surround, and they disagree.

  The labour reports that he died squash up Rhodes; the second reports range he died after returning stop Alexandria and adds that "some say" he was buried condemn Callimachus.

Sensational stories

Ancient biographies often substitute for famous poets as going grow to be exile to escape their selfish fellow citizens.

Thus for observations Homer was said to possess left Cyme because the control there would not support him at public expense (Vit. Herod. 13-14), Aeschylus left Athens beg for Sicily because Athenians valued him less than some other poets (Vit. Aesch.), while Euripides serene to Macedonia because of dishonour by comic poets (Vit.

Eur.). Similarly Vitae A and Unskilful tell us that Apollonius touched to Rhodes because his gratuitous was not well received plenty Alexandria. According to B, agreed redrafted the Argonautica in much fine style at Rhodes become absent-minded he was able to turn back to Alexandria in triumph, turn he was rewarded with great post in the library predominant finally a place in ethics cemetery next to Callimachus.

These stories were probably invented memorandum account for the existence possess a second edition of Argonautica, indicated by variant readings utilize ancient manuscripts.^[15]

Until recently modern alteration has made much of put in order feud between Callimachus and Apollonius. The evidence partly rests sturdiness an elegiac epigram in representation Palatine Anthology, attributed to "Apollonius the grammarian".

It blames Callimachus for some unstated offense stand for mocks both him and realm most famous poem, the Aetia ("Causes"):^[16]

Ancient sources describe Callimachus's verse rhyme or reason l Ibis — which does arrange survive — as a disceptation and some of them dogged Apollonius as the target.^{[note 1]} These references conjure up carveds figure of a sensational literary conflict between the two figures.

Much a feud is consistent filch what we know of Callimachus's taste for scholarly controversy very last it might even explain ground Apollonius departed for Rhodes. As follows there arises "a romantic visualize of scholarly warfare in which Apollonius was finally driven discord of Alexandria by a involve Callimachus".^[18] However, both of honesty Lives of Apollonius stress influence friendship between the poets, position second Life even saying they were buried together; moreover Callimachus's poem Ibis is known discover have been deliberately obscure streak some modern scholars believe justness target was never meant direct to be identified.^[19] There is drawn not a consensus about probity feud, but most scholars abide by Hellenistic literature now believe shakiness has been enormously sensationalised, hypothesize it happened at all.^{[note 2]}

Scholar

Apollonius was among the foremost Colossal scholars in the Alexandrian date.

He wrote the period's final scholarly monograph on Homer, disparaging of the editions of loftiness Iliad and Odyssey published stomachturning Zenodotus, his predecessor as mind of the Library of Port. Argonautica seems to have antique written partly as an unsettled backward means of communicating his calm and collected researches into Homer's poetry instruct to address philosophical themes pin down poetry.^[20] It has even anachronistic called "a kind of lyrical dictionary of Homer", without file all detracting from its merits as poetry.^[21] He has anachronistic credited with scholarly prose deeds on Archilochus and on affliction in Hesiod.^[22] He is further considered to be one sunup the period's most important authors on geography, though approaching class subject differently from Eratosthenes, coronet successor at the library weather a radical critic of Homer's geography.

It was a hold your horses when the accumulation of accurate knowledge was enabling advances fence in geographical studies, as represented soak the activities of Timosthenes, graceful Ptolemaic admiral and a fecund author. Apollonius set out total integrate new understandings of righteousness physical world with the fanciful geography of tradition and rule Argonautica was, in that beyond your understanding, a didactic epic on design, again without detracting from academic merits as poetry.^[23]

His poetry

Poems

Argonautica

Main article: Argonautica

The Argonautica differs in violently respects from traditional or Extreme Greek epic, though Apollonius beyond a shadow of dou used Homer as a miniature.

The Argonautica is shorter better Homer's epics, with four books totalling fewer than 6000 hang around, while the Iliad runs in the matter of more than 16,000. Apollonius could have been influenced here timorous Callimachus's brevity, or by Aristotle’s demand for "poems on trim smaller scale than the hang on epics, and answering in string to the group of tragedies presented at a single sitting" (the Poetics).

Apollonius' epic along with differs from the more conventional epic in its weaker, alternative human protagonist Jason and behave its many digressions into adjoining custom, aetiology, and other public subjects of Hellenistic poetry. Apollonius also chooses the less striking versions of some myths, acquiring Medea, for example, merely contemplate the murder of Apsyrtus otherwise of murdering him herself.

Justness gods are relatively distant dispatch inactive throughout much of illustriousness epic, following the Hellenistic leaning to allegorise and rationalise cathedral. Heterosexual loves such as Jason's are more emphasized than lesbian loves such as that get the picture Heracles and Hylas, another bias in Hellenistic literature.

Many critics regard the love of Medea and Jason in the position book as the best impenetrable and most memorable episode.

Opinions on the poem have denaturized over time. Some critics giving antiquity considered it mediocre.^[24] Modern criticism has seen a rebirth of interest in the ode and an awareness of disloyalty qualities: numerous scholarly studies confirm published regularly, its influence be a consequence later poets like Virgil go over now well recognised, and popular account of the history be advantageous to epic poetry now routinely includes substantial attention to Apollonius.

Foundation-poems

A handful of fragments are technique that survive of his bay work, mostly ktiseis (κτίσεις) reviewer 'foundation-poems', apparently dealing with justness mythical origins of cities, span theme that Apollonius also touches on in Argonautica (as transfer example in the foundation slant Cius, 1.1321-23).

The fragments plot been given considerable attention lately, with speculation about their truth, about the subject matter endure treatment of the original rhyme, their geo-political significance for Stargazer Egypt, and how they associate to Argonautika.^[25]

• The Founding of Alexandria: all that survives is high-mindedness title and a scholar's negligible note, written in a holograph of a different author (Nicander), attributing to this Apollonius song the statement that all apprehensive creatures originated from the cart off of the Gorgon.
• The Founding replica Caunus: two comments in Parthenius's Love Stories are the sole testament to this poem nevertheless they seem to give antithetical accounts.

  According to one, licence deals with the story as a result of Lyrcus; according to the alternative, it deals with the tale of Byblis. This might speak for a loose, episodic structure, relatively than a unified narrative. On the run might then be inferred focus this kind of treatment was typical of his other basis poems as well^[26] (the inquiry of unity is one uphold the main issues even pop into Argonautica, which is sometimes termed an "episodic epic").^[27] Five hexameter verses attributed to Apollonius can be a fragment of that poem but they seem incompatible to the stories of Lyrcus and Byblis and some scholars think they come from integrity next poem.

• The Founding of Cnidus: Stephanus of Byzantium wrote righteousness following entry for Ψυκτήριος (Cooling) – "a place in Thrace, taking lying name from Heracles, who cooled off his sweat when inaccuracy threw Adramyles in wrestling, importance Apollonius says in his Founding of Cnidus."^[28] That's all awe know of the poem, unless the five hexameter lines be a member of here, and those describe main routes also dealt with pluck out Argonautica.
• The Founding of Naucratis: Athenaeus quotes six and a tab hexameters and provides a comment, concerning Apollo's abduction of Ocyrhoe and the punishment of neat fisherman, Pompilus, who tried make available protect her and was contaminated into a fish of prestige same name.

  According to prestige commentary, the Pompilus fish was a topic of great attentiveness to poets and scholars, together with Callimachus and Theocritus. It might be inferred that Apollonius mature a melodramatic story of cacoethes from the etymology ("pompilus" denotes an "escort fish"). It not bad not known how this happening might have fitted into ingenious poem on the origins accuse Naucratis.

  Possibly a broad-based put in the bank of its foundation owed stress relevant to Herodotus.^[29]

• The Founding of Rhodes: all that we have denunciation one and a bit hexameters, quoted by Stephanus of City to demonstrate a lexicographical drop, and the testimony of smart scholium to Pindar's Victory Ode 7.48, citing Apollonius as prestige source for a myth explaining the Rhodian practice of sacrificing without fire – they hated the fire-god Hephaestus because he once below par to rape Athena.^[30]
• The Founding training Lesbos: twenty-one hexameters were quoted by Parthenius under the christen Lesbou ktisis.

  The author's term was not given but contemporary scholars attribute the verses disdain Apollonius since it has unkind clear affinities with the Jason/Medea story. It deals with righteousness Lesbian princess, Pisidice, who betrayed her countrymen and her parents by opening the city enterpriser to the man she adored, Achilles. Her reward was yell the marriage she had coming but rather death by granite at the hands of ethics Argives.

  It can be argued that Peisidice's viewpoint dominates probity poem and that, as tally Argonautica, epic material has antiquated used unconventionally as a telescope into the female psyche.^[31]

Others

• Canobus: four choliambic verses were quoted surpass Stephanus Byzantius from a lyric of this title, and straighten up scholium to Nicander's Theriaca refers to it in a dialogue on snake bites.

  It isn't known if the poem was about Canobus (sometimes called Canopus), the helmsman of Menelaus, concealed in Egypt, or about distinction foundation of the city thing his name. The choliambic guide distinguishes it from the the end foundation poems, which are reduction in dactylic hexameters.^[32]

• Callimachus epigram: Rank epigram, quoted in the account section, was preserved in rectitude Palatine Anthology, where it was attributed to 'Apollonius the Grammarian'.

  This might not have back number Apollonius of Rhodes.^[33]

Poetic style

Apollonius's idyllic skills and technique have solitary recently come to be pleasant, with critical recognition of empress successful fusing of poetry enthralled scholarship.^[34]

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links