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Stesichorus in the Peloponnese

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

C. M. Bowra
C. M. Bowra
Affiliation:
Wadham College, Oxford
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Extract

Most of the traditions about Stesichorus place him in Italy and Sicily. He was said to have been born at Mataurus and to have lived and died at Himera. Only two small and disputed pieces of evidence connect him with the Peloponnese. Suidas s.v. Στη⋯χορος says that he went to Catana when banished from Pallantium in Arcadia, and the Marmor Parium records that in the archonship of Philocrates (485 B.C.) the poet Stesichorus came to Greece. Both testimonies are embarrassing and both have been subjected to sceptical criticism. Stesichorus' connection with Pallantium has been reduced to a misunderstanding of his mention of it in his Γηρυον⋯σ (Paus. VIII 3, 2), and the entry in the Marmor Parium is so flatly in contradiction of the other evidence for his date that it has with some justice been regarded as a mere blunder. And yet it is possible that behind these two disputed testimonies there lies a genuine tradition based on the actual sojourn of Stesichorus in the Peloponnese. Some evidence for this may be found in what we know of his Ἑλ⋯νη and Ὀρεστεἰα.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Classical Quarterly , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , April 1934 , pp. 115 - 119
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1934

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References

page 115 note 1 Steph. Byz. s.v. Μ⋯ταυρος, Suidas s.v. Στησ⋯ χορος.

page 115 note 2 Plut, . de Mus. 7Google Scholar, Aristot, . Rhet. 2, 1393bGoogle Scholar, Plato, Phaedrus 244aGoogle Scholar, Himerius, SchenklHermes 1911 p.420Google Scholar, Pollux 9, 100, Suidas s.v. Στησ⋯χορος, Cicero, in Verrem II 2, 35Google Scholar.

page 115 note 3 ⋯φ' οὖ … Στησ⋯χορος ⋯ ποιητ⋯ς εἰ [ς] τ⋯ν Ἑλλ⋯δα ⋯ [φ⋯κεη] ο ⋯τη HHΔΔII ᾰρχοντος Ἀθ⋯νησι φιλοκρ⋯τους.

page 115 note 4 Cf. Mancuso, U.La lirica Classica Greed p. 167Google Scholar.

page 115 note 5 An excellent account of the fragments is given by J. Vūrtheim, Stesichoros' Fragmente und Biographie, to which I am deeply indebted throughout this discussion.

page 115 note 6 Notably Schol. Aristid. III p. 150 and ad Lycophr, Tzetzes. Alex. 113Google Scholar.

page 116 note 1 Cf. Dornseiff, F., Die archaische Mythenerzählung pp, 33–5Google Scholar.

page 116 note 2 Paus. III 15, 3. She had also a shrine at Therapne, Hdt. VI 61.

page 116 note 3 Hesychius s.v.

page 116 note 4 Theocr. XVIII 43 ff.

page 116 note 5 Quoted by Schol. Eur. Orest. 249, fr. 17 Diehl.

page 117 note 1 Schol. Eur. Orest. 46 φανερ⋯ν ὅτι ⋯ν Ἀργει ⋯ σκην⋯ το⋯ δρ⋯ματοσ δ⋯ ⋯ν Μυκ⋯ναις φησ⋯ν εἶναι τ⋯ βασιλεια το⋯ Ἀγαμ⋯μνονοσ Στησ⋯χορος δ⋯ κ Σιμων⋯δης Λακεδαιμν⋯ᾳ.

page 117 note 2 κα𱽶 κλυταιμν⋯στρας ⋯στ⋯ν ⋯ντα⋯θα εἰκὼν κα⋯ Ἀγαμ⋯μνονος νομιξ⋯μενος νομιξ⋯μενον μν⋯μα.

page 117 note 3 Schol. Aesch. Choeph. 733 κ⋯λισσαν δ⋯ φησιν τǴν Ὁρ⋯στου τροφ⋯ν, Πἰνδαρος δ⋯ Ἀρσιν⋯ην. Στησ⋯. χορος Λαοδ⋯μειαν. Stesichorus was followed by Pherecydes, fr. 134 Jacoby.

page 118 note 1 Fr. 15 Diehl. Cf. Vürtheim, op. cit. p. 53Google Scholar.

page 118 note 2 Fr. 3, 21–2 Diehl.

page 118 note 3 πλησ⋯ον δ⋯ τ⋯ν Ἀν⋯κτων Εἰλοιθυ⋯ας ⋯στ⋯ν ἱερ⋯ν. ⋯ν⋯θημα Ἑλ⋯νης ὅτε σὺν Πειρ⋯θῳ θησ⋯ως ⋯πελθ⋯ντος εἰς θεσπρωτοὺς Ἄφιδν⋯ τε ὑπ⋯ Διοσκο⋯ρων ⋯⋯λω κα⋯ ἤλετο εἰς Λακεδα⋯μονα Ἑλ⋯νη. ἔχειν μ⋯ν γ⋯ρ αὐτ⋯ν λ⋯γουσιν ⋯ν γαστρ⋯, τεκο⋯σαν Ἄργει κα⋯ τ⋯ς Εἰλειθυ⋯ας ἱδρυσαμ⋯νην τ⋯ ἱερ⋯ν τ⋯ν μ⋯ν παῖδα, ἣνἔτεκε, κλυταιμν⋯στρᾳ δο⋯ναι, συνοικεῖν γ⋯ρ ἤδη κλυτα⋯μνηστραν Ἀγαμ⋯μνονι αὐτ⋯ν δ⋯ ὕστερον το⋯των Μενελ⋯ῳ γ⋯μασθαι. κα⋯ ⋯π⋯ τῷδε Εὐφορ⋯ων ×αλκιδεὺς κα⋯ πλευρώνιος Ἀλ⋯ξανδρος ἔπη ποι⋯σαντες πρ⋯τερον δ⋯ Στησ⋯χορος ⋯ Ἱμεραῖοσ κατ⋯ ταὐτ⋯ φασιν Ἀργε⽷οις θησ⋯ως εἶναι θυγατ⋯ρα Ἱφιγ⋯νειαν.

page 119 note 1 Περ⋯ εὐσεβε⋯ας 24. Στη[σ⋯χ⋯χορος] δ' ⋯ν Ὀρεστε⋯ [ᾳ κατ] ακουθ⋯σα[Hσι⋯] δῳ τ⋯ν Ἀγαμ [⋯μνονοςI] φιγ⋯νειαν εἷ [ναι τ⋯] ν Ἑκ⋯την ν⋯ν [⋯νομαξ] ομ⋯νην.

page 119 note 3 On this question I amd much indebted to Mr. A. A. Blakeway.