[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review]
The work reviewed here marks a new instalment in the effort to update and expand the Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (“Fragments of Greek Historians”), initiated by Felix Jacoby in 1923. In the brief prolegomena, the editors outline some of the work’s features, including the decision to include languages other than English. Some contributions are in German, and translations and commentaries in French and Italian are announced for the near future. This choice underscores the multilingual tradition that has long characterized classical studies, at least in continental Europe.
The volume is organized into five sections, each based on a category of works. Each section opens with a clear introduction by editor Stefan Schorn. According to the canonical scheme of the FGrHist, this is followed by entries on the various authors. Each entry is numbered and ordered in the section chronologically; uncertain and fictitious authors appear at the end. Each entry includes the text (with critical apparatus) and translation of Testimonia and Fragments, followed by an introduction, analytical commentary, and bibliography. As far as I can judge, the translations are clear and reliable, and they significantly enhance the accessibility of the material for readers who may not be specialists in these authors. In several cases, the discussions have the scope of a true monograph.
Due to the nature of this 1,300-page volume, it would be impossible to review it in great detail. However, I would like to highlight some of the major points of interest for a broader scholarly readership, including those who are not specialists in the authors concerned but who work with these fragments or wish to familiarize themselves with the volume’s main contributions and new perspectives.
Philostephanos of Cyrene (1751) was an author of geographical and antiquarian works. Aulus Gellius mentions him among the scriptores veteres non parvae auctoritatis, whose works he found in poor condition for sale on the quays of Brindisi (T2). In his Cypriaca, Philostephanos offered a peculiar version of the story of Pygmalion (F 8a–b), which the commentary discusses at length. Much less well known is F16, which relates to the river Kletanos/Kestros in Molossia. This tiny fragment nevertheless deserves a mention here because the entry offers an improved text, made possible by applying multispectral imaging to the Viennese palimpsest that preserves it.
Much more obscure, yet still interesting, is Derkyllos (1754). Fragments attributed to him mainly appear in the Parallela minora and De fluviis of Pseudo-Plutarch, as well as in the Mythologiae of Natale de’ Conti. He is plausibly argued to be a Schwindelautor, perhaps in connection with Derkylos of Argos.
In the introduction to the remains of the books On the Islands, Schorn develops and reworks Paola Ceccarelli’s reflections on the possible role of Diodorus Siculus “Island book” (the fifth of his Historical Library) as an example of the structure and layout of the lost treatises.
The sections on Ktiseis and Apoikiai are especially interesting. In a few illuminating pages, the introduction traces the history of the Ktiseis genre, which experienced a “real boom” between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, and continued until the 3rd century CE with Luperkos of Berytus, before being replaced by Patria, encomiastic works of wider scope that expanded beyond foundation stories to address local customs, monuments, religious festivals, and historical history. Recent acquisitions have also allowed the elimination of erroneous fragmentary authors. These ‘canceled’ authors are listed on pp. 436–437, and they include Abydenos (BNJ 685) and Diokles (BNJ 693). Conversely, Kadmos of Miletos (1760), who was considered elusive and enigmatic even in ancient times, is reevaluated. He is attributed with a Ktisis of Miletos and all of Ionia, of which only a small fragment remains; here, Federica Fontana argues for the plausibility of the tradition of this author’s existence and dates him to the sixth century BCE.
The section on Apollonius of Rhodes (1766) is also important. His contributions to the Ktiseis genre are well known; editor Silvia Barbantani decided not to include Kanopos among the examined works, arguing that the Egyptian city of the same name probably played only a minor role in the text. The surviving fragments of Apollonius’ ktiseis (Alexandria, Naukratis, Kaunos, Knidos, and Rhodes—all places linked to Ptolemaic domains or interests, as rightly noted) are commented on in great depth. Although the fragments are scanty, a comparative approach bears fruit. On the foundation of Alexandria (F1a), the editor draws comparison with passages from the Romance of Alexander by Pseudo-Callisthenes. Barbantani also refers to folklore also to elucidate Diokles of Peparethos’ treatment of the foundation of Rome (1767) and classifies a supposed Syriac fragment of the work as dubious on the basis of recent studies that deny its origin from Diokles.
A fragment on Lesbos dubiously attributed to Apollonios (F10, transmitted by Parthenios of Nicaea), discussed in great detail in section 1766, is also treated a second time as a separate entry (1774, Gründung von Lesbos) by Bernd and Gesine Manuwald, who in turn provide a detailed analysis. The two entries briefly refer to each other, and, in any case, the scholars’ conclusions do not differ greatly despite the separate treatment: “we have no decisive elements to prove or disprove conclusively the attribution of the fragment to Apollonios Rhodios” (p. 605); “man die Frage nach der Autorschaft besser oft lässt und sich mit einer Zuweisung der Verse in die Epoche des Hellenismus begnügt” (p. 843–844).
The case of Hermogenes of Smyrna (1775) is also instructive for understanding the degree of chance involved in the survival of evidence for many minor authors of ancient literature. He was a first- to second-century CE author whose numerous works are mentioned only in an inscription from Smyrna. Had the inscription been lost, we would know nothing of him, a reminder that the quantity of ancient texts we know, even in fragmentary form, is only a fraction of what was written.
The fourth section, dedicated to the works entitled Names of Peoples and Changes of Names, contains an extensive entry on Hellanikos of Lesbos (1782). This entry provides a detailed discussion of fragments 6a–e, which were handed down by various scholia and John Tzetzes. The thorough analysis of Tzetzes’ quotations (in one case, from the Exegesis in Iliadem, which has been known in its complete form for only a few decades) yields significant results in distinguishing his personal contributions (including errors) from what he found in his sources. Notably, he probably used a more extensive version of the scholia to the Odyssey than the one available today.
The final section is brief and concerns the Aitia. Understandably, it does not include fragments by Callimachus, whose Aitia will not even be included in volume IV B of the FGrHist, which will be dedicated to Callimachus himself. According to the series editor, their inclusion would in fact be superfluous “after Harder’s (2012) and Massimilla’s (1996; 2010) excellent commented editions”.
The volume, which has been carefully edited and proofread[1], concludes with concordances and extensive Index locorum and nominum. Taken together, the breadth of the material covered, the consistently high philological standards of the editions, the depth of the introductions and commentaries—often amounting to genuine monographic treatments—the transparency of the editorial choices, and the presence of reliable translations that render these texts accessible also to non-specialist readers make this a solid, monumental, authoritative volume that will become an essential reference for anyone encountering fragments of ancient antiquarian authors—only apparently outlandish, given that when dealing with classical mythology, history, and geography, sooner or later one always ends up stumbling upon them.
Authors and titles
- On cities
Apollas/Apellas of Pontos (L. Borgies)
Philostephanos of Kyrene (M. Steinmann, A. Delattre, D. Pausch)
Polemon of Ilion: refers to FGrHist IV E 3
Akestodoros of Megalopolis (Ch. Grigolin)
Derkyllos (M.-A. Buelens)
- On islands
Kallimachos the Younger (M.-A. Buelens)
Semos of Delos (Ch. Grigolin)
Xenagoras (A. Meeus)
Anonymous, Nesias (U. Walter)
Aretades of Knidos (B. Chrubasik)
- Foundations and Colonies
Kadmos of Miletos (F. Fontana)
Xenophanes von Kolophon (D. Engels)
Charon of Lampsakos (S. Barbantani)
Hippys von Rhegion (B. Manuwald, G. Manuwald)
Ion von Chios (P. Assenmaker)
Philochoros (Ch. Grigolin)
Apollonios of Rhodes (S. Barbantani)
Diokles of Peparethos (S. Barbantani)
Istros (D. Engels)
Demosthenes of Bithynia (S. Barbantani)
Aristeides (S. Barbantani)
Aristias/Ariston of Chios (S. Barbantani)
Ariston (S. Barbantani)
Dionysios von Chalkis (D. Engels)
Anonymous, Gründung von Lesbos (B. Manuwald, G. Manuwald)
Hermogenes of Smyrna (B. Chrubasik)
Luperkos of Berytos (S. Schorn)
Kriton of Pieria (S. Schorn)
Pausanias von Antiocheia (D. Engels, Ch. Grigolin)
Zopyros (aus Magnesia?) (B. Manuwald, G. Manuwald)
Trisimachos (D. Engels)
Kleitophon von Rhodos (D. Engels)
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- Names of peoples and Changes of names
Hellanikos of Lesbos (A. Filoni, G. Ottone)
Hippias (G. Ottone)
Nikanor of Kyrene (Ch. Grigolin)
- Origins
Butas (B. Manuwald, G. Manuwald)
Dionysios von Korinth (B. Manuwald, G. Manuwald)
Anonymous, Aitia (C. Van der Aa)
Notes
[1] Typos are extremely rare: for example, on page 20, third-to-last line, rutagraveolens, lege ruta graveolens.