Philodemus: On Poems, Book 2

The On Poems by Philodemus of Gadara is our main source for Hellenistic literary and critical theory. This first edition of Book 2 includes a Greek text and facing English translation of the newly reconstructed treatise on poetry in ancient Greek, as well as a comprehensive introduction and incisive analytical commentary. Frontmatter; List of Illustrations; List of Tables; Introduction;

1. Philodemus' De poematis 2: The History of the Text; (a) The Reconstruction of the Papyrus-Roll; (b) How the Papyri were Opened and Recorded; (c) How the Papyri were Drawn and Engraved; (d) The Contribution of the Interpreti;

2. The Manuscripts of De poematis 2; (a) The Papyrus: Catalogue, Condition, and Description; (b) The Oxonian Disegni: Catalogue, Description, and Errors; (c) The Neapolitan Disegni: Catalogue, Description, and Errors; (d) The Format and Script of Hand A; (e) The Orthography and Punctuation of Hand A; (f) The Columns in Hand B; (g) Marginalia, Mistakes, and Corrections;

3. The Reconstruction of the Papyrus-Roll; (a) The Relative Sequence: Joins and Parallels; (b) The Absolute Sequence: Layers, Circumferences, and Roll-Length; (c) Kolleseis and Kollemata;

4. Philodemus' Sources and Opponents; (a) Heracleodorus; (b) Pausimachus; (c) Crates of Mallos;

5. The Work: Purpose, Form, Style, and Reception; (a) The Purpose, Form, and Reception of De poematis 2; (b) Style, Authorship, and Title; (c) De poematis 2 and the Ars poetica of Horace;

6. The Present Edition; (a) System of Presentation; (b) Conspectus Siglorum; Philodemus' De poematis 2; Appendix A. The Fragments of Heracleodorus; Appendix B. The Fragments of Pausimachus; Endmatter; Addenda and Corrigenda to Volumes I/1 and I/3; Conspectus Studiorum; Concordances; I. By papyrus and disegno; II. By HV2; III. By Gomperz; IV. By Sbordone; V. Heracleodorus: Fragments and Testimonia; VI. Original and Revised Column-Numbers in Book 1; Index Locorum; Index Verborum; General Index