Heraclides of Pontus On Difficult Words in Greek
On Difficult Words is a lost philological treatise composed in Attic Greek by the 4th-century BCE philosopher Heraclides of Pontus. The work survives only in six brief fragments preserved by later grammarians, which reveal its focus on analyzing irregular or problematic Greek words, particularly concerning their proper declensions and usages. This technical study reflects the scholarly pursuits of Heraclides, a student of Plato's Academy who was also associated with Aristotle's school. The extant fragments, embedded within the works of later authors such as the grammarian Herodian, suggest the treatise served as an early form of specialized linguistic analysis, likely intended for students of philosophy or rhetoric who required guidance in navigating textual ambiguities. It exemplifies the intersection of philosophical inquiry and grammatical study that would later flourish in Hellenistic scholarship. Having no independent manuscript tradition, the work is reconstructed entirely from these cited excerpts.
| 1 | ................... |
| 2 | [ ]ς̣ [ ]ε̣ [ ]μ̣ [ ]εν [ ]ιη [ ]δυ [ ]τωι [ ] . αδη [ ]ων [ τρ?]ίτου [ οὐ?]δέν [ ]πλη[ τ?]ε γὰρ τὸ ........................... ................................. |
| 3 | [ ... ] . [ . ] .. [ .. ]ι̣δη .. [ ] τὸ ς ε̣ἶ̣ε̣ν̣ πα[ρ]ὰ Δωριεῦ̣σι σ̣[ ] ο̣ἴονται καὶ τὴν ἐς πρόθε̣[σιν ] ἀ̣λ̣ηθὲς καὶ ἡ εἰς ποτε ἐν̣[ ] ων ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ⟦ ι̣ ⟧ ῥητέον ‵ α̣, ′ [ ἀνα?] λογικῆς, ‵ ἀ ′δύνατο̣ν γὰρ το̣[ ] ὅτι μὴ συμβέβηκε τοι̣[ ] ἐστιν ἴδιον τοῦ ῥήματο[ς ] τὸ εἴαν κατὰ τρίτον πρόσω[πον ] συλλαβῆς δύο σύμφωνα σ[ ] πληθυντικὸν ἐνυ̣τ̣[ τόσα? σύμφω] να ἀ̣ρκτικὰ τῆς τ[ελ]ε̣υ[ταίας συλλαβῆς τοῦ πρώτου?] προσώπου ‵ ὅσα καὶ τοῦ τ[ρ]ίτου ′ [προσώπου ] [ ]οιον δὲ κλ[ ] σι ⟦ κα ⟧ καθ’ ἑ‵ κά ′τερα ‵ γὰρ ′ τὰ πρόσ̣[ωπα ] τῆς τελευταίας συλλαβ̣[ῆς ] ἐστί διὰ δυεῖν ἐκφερομεν[ τὴν τελευ] ταίαν συλλαβ̣ὴ̣ν̣ . [ . ] ἐσ̣μέν [ ] δι’ ἑνὸς̣ [ .. ] . [ ..... τ]ὸ εἰ̣ [μέν ] διαλ . [ ] λαμον[ ] ἑνικοῦ[ ] ................................................... |
| (50) | [ ]η̣σ̣οστ̣[ ] [ ± 8 ]τα ἀκο[ .. ] .. [ ... ] ἀ̣ναλογικ̣[ ] [ ± 7 ]ντο ἐ σμ έν . τ[ὰ] αὐτὰ γὰρ ἀρ[κτικά ] [ ± 4 τελ]ε̣υ̣ταίας συλλαβῆ[ς] τ̣οῦ πρώ̣[του προσώπου] [ ± 10 π]ληθυντικ̣ὸν [ .. ]α καὶ τ̣[ ] [ ± 7 ] υ[ .. ἐ]νδείκνυτε τ̣ὸ̣ [λ]έγεσ̣[θαι ] [ ± 6 ἄ]λ̣λους δύο σύμφωνα καὶ τ . [ ] [ ± 7 ]ω̣ν ἐξενεχθήσεται . ἔνιοι δ̣[ὲ ] [ ± 7 ]ου «ἀπήμονές εἰ̣μεν ἁπάντω[ν» ] [καταδέ?]χεσθαι νομίζουσι ἐν τῶι «ποῖοί κ̣[’εἶτε Ὀδυσσῆϊ] [ἀμυνέμ]εν», ὁριστικοῦ ἀ̣[κ]ο̣ύ̣ο̣ντες ἐκ τοῦ ε̣[ὐκτικοῦ], [μεταποιοῦ]ντες τὸν στίχον «ποῖοί κ’ ἐ[σ]τ̣ὲ [Ὀδυσσῆϊ ἀμυ] [νέμεν» . ταῦτ]α̣ δ’ ἁμαρτάνουσ[ι], οὔτε γὰρ ἁ̣ρμόζ̣[ει ὁ κέν] [σύνδεσμ]ος π ρὸς ὁριστικὰ ῥήματα, ἀλ̣λ̣ὰ̣ [τῷ εὐκτι] [κῷ ὑποτά]ττεται . σόλοικον ἄρα ποιοῦσι τὴ[ν σύνταξιν] [οὕτως κεκ]λιμένοι «ποῖοι ἄν ἐστε Ὀδυσσῆϊ ἀ[μυνέμεν»] [ἀντὶ τοῦ] «π̣οῖοι ἂ̣ν εἴητε» τὴν τε . η[ν] ὅλ̣ην[ ] [ ± 7 ]οκ ... ἑκάστο[τ]ε[ ........ ]κοι [ ] [ ± 7 ]ον γουν [ ] [ ± 7 ἀ]ληθῶσ̣[ ] [ ± 7 ]ι̣λ̣ωσχ[ ] ................................................ |
| (50) | [ ]σ̣ι [ ] .. φι [ ] ⟦ .. αι ⟧ [ ]υπλη [ ]η ................................................ ................................................ |
| (50) | [ ] .. [ .. ]οντ̣[ ] [τ]ῶν εἰς μ ι τ [ελευτ ] [ . ]ν ὅτι̣ πᾶν ρ̣[ ] [ . ] τηι εἰς μι λ[ηγ ] ἐκφέρεται το [ ] ὐπ οτακτικῶ [ ] δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν . [ ] ληγόντων[ ] εἰς μι περαι[ν ] οντος ὐπὸ τῶ[ν ] ἀπὸ τοῦ κιρν[ ] γραμμάτ̣ων[ ] κωι παρ’ οσον[ ὑπο] τακτικὸν εν̣[ ] κί̣ρναμαι τὸ ϋ̣[ ] ἐπιδέχοιτο [ ] λου . στ̣οισα[ ] ν .. π . [ ] ................................................ |