eul_wid: vmw-aa
DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20335421 PDFMarkdown

Narratives on Hymns I and II Ancient Scholia by Callimachus Scholia

This work comprises ancient prose scholia, or explanatory notes, providing narrative summaries and commentary on the first two hymns (to Zeus and Apollo) of the Hellenistic poet Callimachus. Labeled "Ancient," these scholia represent a compilation of earlier Hellenistic and Roman scholarly exegesis, preserved within the medieval manuscript tradition. They function as a discrete commentary, offering glosses on mythological references, rare vocabulary, and historical context for the poetic text.

The scholia address several key areas:

The scholia survive within medieval codices (13th–15th centuries CE) transmitting Callimachus's works. They are themselves compilations of earlier material, potentially incorporating notes from Hellenistic scholars like Theon, and their selective preservation depended on scribal choices during copying.

These ancient scholia are foundational for the modern interpretation of Callimachus's poetry. They preserve otherwise lost information about Alexandrian scholarship and are a primary source for understanding the ancient reception and scholarly study of his work, shaping all subsequent commentary.

«Ζηνὸς ἔοι τί κεν ἄλλο παρὰ σπονδῇσιν ἀείδειν» Ἐνταῦθα Ἀρκάδες καὶ Κρῆτες ἀντιποιοῦνται τῆς Διὸς γενέσεως ἑκάτεροι λέγοντες παρʼ αὐτοῖς γεγεννῆσθαι τὸν θεόν — Κρῆτες δὲ καὶ τάφον αὐτοῦ ἐπιδεικνύντες, τοῦτό γε ψευδόμενοι —, ἀφορμὴν τοιαύτην εἰληφότες· τῆς γὰρ Παρρασίας μοίρας ἔν τινι ὄρει θαμνώδει ἀποτεκοῦσα Ῥέα τὸν Δία Νέδῃ μιᾷ τῶν Ὠκεανίδων εἴσω τῆς Κρήτης φέρειν ἐνεχείρισεν, ὅπως κρύφα τρέφοιτο ἐκεῖσε.

«Οἷον ὁ τὠπόλλωνος ἐσείσατο δάφνινος ὅρπηξ» Προτερατευσάμενος ὡς ἐντεθεασμένων καὶ τῶν ἀψύχων ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος δαφνίνων τε κλάδων σειομένων καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τεμένους, ἐπιλέγει δεῖν χορεύειν τοὺς παῖδας καὶ κιθαρίζειν, γεγαληνῶσθαι δὲ καὶ τὸ πέλαγος ἐφʼ ὕμνῳ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς περιπαθεῖς ἀνέχειν τοῦ θρηνεῖν. προσιστορεῖ δὲ καὶ τὸ πολύτεχνον τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι καὶ τοξότης ἀγαθός ἐστι καὶ ἰατρὸς καὶ μάντις καὶ ἐπόπτης τῆς τροφῆς τῶν θρεμμάτων, καὶ ὡς χαίρει πόλεων κτίσεσιν οὐδʼ ἀρχιτεκτονίας ἀπολείπεται· ἔτι δὲ τετραέτης ὢν ἐν τῇ Δήλῳ βωμὸν ἐκ κεράτων κατεσκευάσατο. καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι Κυρήνης τὴν κτίσιν Βάττῳ τῷ Θηραίῳ διεσήμηνε, κόρακα παρασχόμενος ἡγεμόνα· ὡς πρῶτον μὲν ἐν Σπάρτῃ ἐτετίμητο, δεύτερον δὲ ἐν Θήρᾳ, τρίτον δὲ ἐν Κυρήνῃ μετὰ τὰς ἀποικίασ … τον λέοντα … Βάττῳ … μενον