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Lives of the Hellenistic Poets
These short biographies were attached to the ancient commentaries (Scholia) on the poets.
Lives of the Hellenistic Poets
These short biographies were attached to the ancient commentaries (Scholia) on the poets.
Suda - Lives of the Hellenistic Poets
back
Lives of the Hellenistic Poets
These short biographies were attached to the ancient commentaries (Scholia) on the poets. In most cases, the lives have been preserved in several different versions in the manuscripts. In their final form, they all date from the Byzantine period, but their content is derived from earlier biographies.
There are lives of Apollonius of Rhodes , Aratus of Soli , Lycophron , Menander , Nicander and Theocritus .
As well as the lives translated here, there are entries in the Suda, an "encyclopaedia" which was compiled in the 10th century A. D. , for the following writers:
Alexander of Aetolia , Anaxippus , Apollodorus of Gela , Apollodorus of Athens , Apollonius of Rhodes , Aratus of Soli , Archedicus , Callimachus , Eratosthenes , Erinna , Euphorion , Homerus of Byzantium , Ister , Leschides , Lycophron , Lynceus , Menander , Moschus , Nicander , Parthenius , Philemon , Philetas , Philicus , Philippides , Poseidippus , Rhianus , Rhinthon , Simonides of Magnesia , Sotades , Theocritus , Timolaus , Zenodotus
APOLLONIUS OF RHODES
Apollonius wrote the Argonautica, the only epic poem to survive from Hellenistic times.
The lives are translated from the Greek text in C. Wendel's edition of the Scholia.
The list of the directors of the library at Alexandria was found in a papyrus fragment of the 2nd century A. D. (POxy_1241).
The papyrus fragment was published with a translation and commentary by B. P. Grenfell & A. S. Hunt.
1. The family of Apollonius, the poet who wrote the Argonautica
The family of Apollonius, the poet who wrote the Argonautica, lived in Alexandria, and belonged to the Ptolemais tribe. He was the son of Silleus, or according to some of Illeus. He lived at the time of the third Ptolemy [246-222 B. C. ], and was a pupil of Callimachus. At first, together with Callimachus his teacher . . . later in life he turned to writing poems.
It is said that when Apollonius was still a youth, he published a version of the Argonautica, but met with an unfavourable reaction. He could not bear his dishonour amongst the citizens, or the reproaches and criticism of his fellow poets; so he left his homeland and went off to Rhodes. There he polished up his poem and improved it; when he published it in its new form, he was held in the highest esteem, and therefore in the title of the poem he calls himself a Rhodian. He became a distinguished teacher at Rhodes, and was rewarded by the Rhodians with citizenship and great honour.
2. The life of Apollonius
The family of the poet Apollonius lived in Alexandria. His father was Silleus or Illeus, and his mother was Rhode. He was a pupil of the grammarian Callimachus at Alexandria, where he composed this poem and published it. But the poem was a complete failure, and in his embarrassment he went off to Rhodes. There he made his home and taught rhetoric; therefore he is called a Rhodian. While he was staying there, he polished up his poem, and when he published it he was held in the highest esteem, so that the Rhodians rewarded him with citizenship and great honour.
Some say that he returned to Alexandria, and published the poem again there to such acclaim, that he was appointed to be [? the head] of the libraries and the Museium; and he was buried next to Callimachus himself.
3. The directors of the library at Alexandria
. . . 1 Apollonius son of Silleus, of Alexandria, called the Rhodian, the disciple of Callimachus ; he was also the teacher of the first 2 king. He was succeeded by Eratosthenes, after whom came Aristophanes son of Apelles of Byzantium, then Apollonius of Alexandria, the so-called Classifier 3; and after him Aristarchus son of Aristarchus, of Alexandria, but originally of Samothrace; he became also the teacher of the children of Philopator 4. He was followed by Cydas, of the spearmen 5; and under the ninth king 6 there flourished Ammonius, Zenodotus, Diocles, and Apollodorus the grammarians 7.
Notes: 1. The beginning of the list is missing. Zenodotus of Ephesus was the director of the library before Apollonius.
2. A mistake for "third".
3. Greek: Eidographos.
4. A mistake for (? ) Philometor.
5. Greek: lonchophoroi.
6. (? ) Ptolemy Euergetes II.
7. Another, completely unrelated, list follows in the papyrus at this point.
ARATUS OF SOLI
Aratus wrote the Phaenomena, a poem about astronomy which was much admired by the Greeks and Romans
The lives are translated from the Greek text in J. Martin's edition of the Scholia
The numbers in red are the page numbers in Martin's edition.
1. The family and life of Aratus
6 The father of the poet Aratus was Athenodorus, and his mother was Letophila. He had three brothers, called Myris, Caliondas and Athenodorus, who had the same name as his father. Aratus mentions his brothers in the letters which are attributed to him. Asclepiades of Myrleia in the eleventh book of his "About Grammarians" says that Aratus came from Tarsus, and not from Soli. But Callimachus, a learned and trustworthy writer, says that he came from Soli, in the following lines:
I suspect that the poet of Soli
Has skimmed off only the sweetest of his verses
- and almost all other writers agree with him.
Soli was a very distinguished city in Cilicia, the home of many excellent men; it is now called Pompeiopolis. There is another city called Soli in Cyprus; but the inhabitants of the Cyprian city were called Solioi, whereas the inhabitants of the Cilician city were called Soleis, as is made clear by the quotation from Callimachus above. [There follows a discussion about how adjectives are formed from city names. ]
7 Solon mentions [Cyprian Soli] in his elegies addressed to king Cypranor, who was advised by Solon to found the city, and in gratitude for this advice named the city Soli after him. This is what Solon says:
But now may you and your family long dwell
In this city as lords of the Solians,
And may Cypris of the violet crown give me a safe journey
From this famous island in a swift ship.
Aratus lived during the reign of Antigonus Gonatas, the king of Macedonia. Antigonus was the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes, and he was married to Phila, the daughter of Seleucus and Stratonice. 8 Because he was a lover of literature and very fond of poetry, he was eager to bring together many cultivated writers, including Aratus. When Aratus joined the king, he was well received on account of his learning and his poetry, and he was instructed by the king to write the Phaenomena. The king gave him a copy of Eudoxus' book entitled "Mirror" (Katoptron) and asked him to put Eudoxus' prose description of the stars into verse. The king said, "You will make Eudoxus more famous (eudoxoteron) by putting his discoveries into verse".
Antigonus was [king] in the 125th Olympiad [280-277 B. C. ], at which time Aratus and Alexander of Aetolia were in their prime. In his own letters Aratus mentions the "Mirror" of Eudoxus, Antigonus, Alexander of Aetolia, and how he was requested by the king to write [the Phaenomena].
Aratus is said to have been a student of Dionysius of Heracleia. He produced an edition of the Odyssey, and so this is called the "edition of Aratus", similarly to the editions of Aristarchus and Aristophanes. Some say that he went to Syria and stayed with Antiochus, who asked him to produce an edition of the Iliad, because it had been contaminated by many others.
Others says that Nicander of Colophon was a contemporary of Aratus and Antigonus; that Aratus did not know anything about astronomy and Nicander did not know anything about medicine, but nevertheless Antigonus commanded Aratus, who was a doctor, to write the Phaenomena and Nicander, who was an astronomer, to write the Theriaca and Alexipharmaca; and that therefore both of them made mistakes in the technical details of their subjects. 9 But those who say this are mistaken. They do nor realise that Nicander was not a contemporary of Aratus, but lived many years later. For Antigonus, in whose reign Aratus lived, was king at the same time as the first and second Ptolemy; but Nicander lived during the reign of the fifth Ptolemy [204-180 B. C. ]. Callimachus mentions Aratus as being older than himself, not only in his epigrams, but also in his [letters] to Praxiphanes; he is full of praise [for Aratus] as an erudite and outstanding poet.
Aratus was an admirer of Hesiodus, as Callimachus indicates in the epigram about him:
The subject and the style belong to Hesiodus; but though he is not
(? ) The least of poets, I suspect that the poet of Soli
Has skimmed off only the sweetest of his verses; hail,
Subtle utterances, the earnest endeavours of Aratus.
Aratus wrote other books, about Homerus and the Iliad, a Description of Bones, Medicinal Properties, a Hymn to Pan, Weather Signs, Scythicon and other minor works; but the Phaenomena was his most successful poem, so much so that its fame far surpasses all other writers. For Eudoxus of Cnidus wrote a book called Phaenomena, as did Lasus of Magnesia (not Lasus of Hermione, but a different writer with the same name), Hermippus, Hegesianax, 10 Aristophanes of Byzantium and many others. King Ptolemy mentions them in his "Personalities", as follows:
Hegesianax, Hermippus and many others
Compiled books about the stars and all the constellations
In the sky; nor did they (? ) miss the mark.
But the subtly-speaking Aratus holds the crown.
There were many other distinguished men called Aratus, such as the historians, Aratus of Cnidus, author of historical works about Egypt, and (thirdly) the famous Aratus of Sicyon, who wrote the "Multi-book history", containing more than 30 books.
Almost all writers agree that the letters attributed to Aratus, which we mentioned above, were written by him and are genuine. But Apollonides (? ) Cepheus in the eighth book of his "Historical Fakes" says that they were written by Sabirius Pollio, and not by Aratus. Apollonides says that Sabirius Pollio also wrote the letters which are attributed to Euripides.
2. The family of the poet Aratus
11 The family of the poet Aratus lived at Soli in Cilicia. His father was Athenodorus and his mother was Letophila. His father belonged to a distinguished family, who had many claims to fame, and had given good service in war. They had even liberated their homeland on several occasions.
Aratus lived at the time of king [Ptolemy] Philadelphus [282-246 B. C. ]. He was a contemporary of Alexander of Aetolia and Philetas; and also of Dionysius the philosopher, who deserted his school for a life of pleasure. Aratus wrote an account of Dionysius' teachings.
Aratus wrote various minor works; but there are four which are worthy of mention:
Medicinal properties
The (? ) cutting of the rule (Kanonos Katatome)
Phaenomena
On the rising [of the sun] - some say this was written by Hegesianax, and not by Aratus
12 Some writers think that Aratus was a doctor by training; and that he was a close friend of Nicander, an astronomer, to whom he gave the Theriaca which he had written. In return, he received the Phaenomena from Nicander, and presented it as his own work.
His Phaenomena is divided into three parts: constellations, the risings and settings of the stars, and weather signs.
In the composition of the poem, he followed the style of Homerus; but some say that he was more influenced by Hesiodus. For just as Hesiodus at the start of the "Works and Days" began with a hymn to Zeus:
Muses of Pieria, who give praise in song, come speak of Zeus,
so Aratus at the beginning of his poem said
Let us start with Zeus.
Aratus copied Hesiodus in his account of the Golden Age, and in many other myths. Boethus of Sidon in the first book of his "On Aratus" says that he imitated Homerus rather than Hesiodus; for Aratus is much grander than Hesiodus in his style of writing.
Many other writers composed Phaenomena, including Cleopater, Sminthes, Alexander of Aetolia, 13 Alexander of Ephesus, Alexander Lycaites, Anacreon, Artemidorus and Hipparchus; but the brilliant power of Aratus' poem puts them all in the shade. Aratus used the force of the natural philosophers; he said that there is one power which controls the details of the universe, including the years, the months, the days, the hours, and the risings and settings of the sun, the moon and the five planets. He says that the earth has the shape of a spherical body in the universe; it is motionless, and its size is 252,000 stades.
Some say that Aratus did not write the present introduction to the poem, but it was added later. They say that the original start of the poem was as follows:
Ancleides, holy offshoot of strangers [ see comment on line 733 ]
This is the end of our account of Aratus' life, family, education, prowess and contemporaries.
3. The family of Aratus
14 Aratus' father was Athenodorus, and his mother was Letophila. His family lived at Soli in Cilicia, which was named after Solon of Lindus. He had three brothers, Lyres, Calliondas and Athenodorus. According to Euphranor, this Athenodorus wrote a reply to the calumnies of Zoilus.
Aratus became famous while he was staying with Antigonus, king of Macedonia. Antigonus became king in the following fashion. 15 After the death of Alexander, Macedonia was ruled by Philippus Arrhidaeus. When Arrhidaeus died, he was succeeded by Seleucus Nicanor, who was killed by Ptolemy Ceraunus, the son of Ptolemy Soter and Eurydice. Ptolemy became king of Macedonia, but he was killed by the Gauls. Then the Macedonians chose Sosthenes as their leader, after whom Antigonus the son of Philippus became their king. Antigonus' son was Demetrius Poliorcetes, and Demetrius' son was Antigonus Gonatas. It was this Antigonus with whom Aratus stayed, along with Persaeus the Stoic, Antagoras of Rhodes (the author of the Thebais) and Alexander of Aetolia, as Antigonus himself relates in his [letter] to Hieronymus. After joining the king, Aratus first read to him his poem to Pan of Arcadia, and then at the king's command he wrote the Phaenomena.
16 Aratus was an associate of Zenon the Stoic, and he wrote a letter to Zenon. He wrote very many works, according to Callimachus.
Dositheus the politician says in his [letter] to Diodorus that Aratus also went to Antiochus the son of Seleucus, and stayed with him for some time.
Antigonus provided Aratus with the subject matter for the Phaenomena; he gave him Eudoxus' book and told him to use it as his guide. Because of this, some of the less intelligent commentators have thought that Aratus had no knowledge of astronomy. 17 They suppose that the Phaenomena of Eudoxus was Aratus' sole source of information for the poem. This is the opinion of Hipparchus of Bithynia, who tries to prove it in his book "On Eudoxus and Aratus". A similar opinion is expressed by Dionysius . . . [and Poseidonius] in his "Comparison of Aratus and Homerus in matters of astronomy", who says:
We would not consider him a doctor for writing "Medicinal Properties", nor will we consider him an astronomer for writing a poem which contains nothing except what can be found in Eudoxus' book.
These writers are exaggerating considerably. It takes some understanding of astronomy to know how to express the ideas; and we can find many instances in which Aratus' understanding was better than that of Eudoxus. Callimachus, who lived at about the same time as Aratus, 18 already says "connected to the endeavours of Aratus" when talking of the study of astronomy, because of Aratus' careful observations. Many other writers wrote Phaenomena after Aratus, but none of them are considered worthy of note.
This is the end [of our remarks] about him.
4. The family of Aratus
19 Aratus' father was Athenodorus, and his mother was Letodora; they lived at Soli in Cilicia. They say that the city was named after Solon of Lindus, and it is now called Pompeiopolis. Aratus lived at the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, and he was a student of Dionysius of Heracleia. He resided with Antigonus the king of Macedonia and his wife Phila, and he was a contemporary of Alexander of Aetolia, Callimachus, Menander and Philetas. 20 Aratus had three brothers, Myris, Calondas and Athenodorus. This Athenodorus is said to have been the first to reply to Zoilus' attacks on the poetry of Homerus.
Aratus was a student of the philosopher Persaeus at Athens, and he accompanied Persaeus when he was summoned to Macedonia by Antigonus. He was present at the wedding of Antigonus and Phila, where he was well received, and he spent the rest of his life in Macedonia.
Antigonus was the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes, and he became king in about the (? ) 125th Olympiad [280-277 B. C. ], when Ptolemy Philadelphus was king of Egypt. So the story that is put about by some, that Aratus lived at the same time as Nicander of Colophon, the writer of the Theriaca, is shown to be false, [that they made an agreement, Aratus to work on the Phaenomena, and Nicander on the Theriaca], because Nicander is shown to have lived twelve whole Olympiads later than Aratus.
21 Some say that Aratus was the son of Mnaseas, and he was taught by an astronomer called Aristotherus. He was trained as a doctor, and was a poet at the court of Antigonus. He met [Callimachus] of Cyrene when Callimachus was an old man, and was chosen to be the subject of one of his epigrams. He was a contemporary of the astronomer Nicander, who was also one of Antigonus' circle. Some say that Aratus was an imitator of Homerus, but others say he was more an imitator of Hesiodus.
5. Comment in the Scholia, on line 733 of the Phaenomena
Do you not see? When the slender [moon] . . . : Because these words seem to be addressed to someone else, [some editors] were led to insert the introduction which names Ancleides. But they did not realise that this is poetical device, as in Homerus:
Then you would not have seen Agamemnon shirking [ Iliad 4. 223 ]
Patroclus the knight [ Iliad 16. 20 ]
and Nor you, Menelaus [ Iliad 4. 127 ]
Following these examples, later writers used the same device.
LYCOPHRON
Lycophron wrote Alexandra, the most deliberately obscure poem in the Greek language
Johannes Tzetzes, a Byzantine scholar, wrote a commentary on the poem in the 12th century A. D.
The life is translated from the Greek text in E. Scheer's edition of Lycophron
The Greek text of "On Comedy" is in G. Kaibel, "Comicorum Graecorum Fragmenta"
The numbers in red are the section numbers in Kaibel's text
1. TZETZES: The family of Lycophron
The family of this Lycophron lived in Chalcis. He was the son of Socles, or according to some of the historian Lycus. He was one of the seven poets who, because they were seven in number, were called the Pleias. Their names were:
Theocritus, who wrote the bucolic poems
Aratus, who wrote the Phaenomena and other poems
Nicander
Aeantides - or Apollonius, who wrote the Argonautica
Philicus
Homerus the younger, son of Andromachus, from Byzantium, a tragedian who wrote 57 plays (there was another Homerus, who I think lived at the same time as Hesiodus, though some also attribute the poems of the ancient Homer to him)
This Lycophron
Though some wrongly say that there were others in the Pleias.
These poets lived at the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus [282-246 B.
Lives of the Hellenistic Poets
These short biographies were attached to the ancient commentaries (Scholia) on the poets. In most cases, the lives have been preserved in several different versions in the manuscripts. In their final form, they all date from the Byzantine period, but their content is derived from earlier biographies.
There are lives of Apollonius of Rhodes , Aratus of Soli , Lycophron , Menander , Nicander and Theocritus .
As well as the lives translated here, there are entries in the Suda, an "encyclopaedia" which was compiled in the 10th century A. D. , for the following writers:
Alexander of Aetolia , Anaxippus , Apollodorus of Gela , Apollodorus of Athens , Apollonius of Rhodes , Aratus of Soli , Archedicus , Callimachus , Eratosthenes , Erinna , Euphorion , Homerus of Byzantium , Ister , Leschides , Lycophron , Lynceus , Menander , Moschus , Nicander , Parthenius , Philemon , Philetas , Philicus , Philippides , Poseidippus , Rhianus , Rhinthon , Simonides of Magnesia , Sotades , Theocritus , Timolaus , Zenodotus
APOLLONIUS OF RHODES
Apollonius wrote the Argonautica, the only epic poem to survive from Hellenistic times.
The lives are translated from the Greek text in C. Wendel's edition of the Scholia.
The list of the directors of the library at Alexandria was found in a papyrus fragment of the 2nd century A. D. (POxy_1241).
The papyrus fragment was published with a translation and commentary by B. P. Grenfell & A. S. Hunt.
1. The family of Apollonius, the poet who wrote the Argonautica
The family of Apollonius, the poet who wrote the Argonautica, lived in Alexandria, and belonged to the Ptolemais tribe. He was the son of Silleus, or according to some of Illeus. He lived at the time of the third Ptolemy [246-222 B. C. ], and was a pupil of Callimachus. At first, together with Callimachus his teacher . . . later in life he turned to writing poems.
It is said that when Apollonius was still a youth, he published a version of the Argonautica, but met with an unfavourable reaction. He could not bear his dishonour amongst the citizens, or the reproaches and criticism of his fellow poets; so he left his homeland and went off to Rhodes. There he polished up his poem and improved it; when he published it in its new form, he was held in the highest esteem, and therefore in the title of the poem he calls himself a Rhodian. He became a distinguished teacher at Rhodes, and was rewarded by the Rhodians with citizenship and great honour.
2. The life of Apollonius
The family of the poet Apollonius lived in Alexandria. His father was Silleus or Illeus, and his mother was Rhode. He was a pupil of the grammarian Callimachus at Alexandria, where he composed this poem and published it. But the poem was a complete failure, and in his embarrassment he went off to Rhodes. There he made his home and taught rhetoric; therefore he is called a Rhodian. While he was staying there, he polished up his poem, and when he published it he was held in the highest esteem, so that the Rhodians rewarded him with citizenship and great honour.
Some say that he returned to Alexandria, and published the poem again there to such acclaim, that he was appointed to be [? the head] of the libraries and the Museium; and he was buried next to Callimachus himself.
3. The directors of the library at Alexandria
. . . 1 Apollonius son of Silleus, of Alexandria, called the Rhodian, the disciple of Callimachus ; he was also the teacher of the first 2 king. He was succeeded by Eratosthenes, after whom came Aristophanes son of Apelles of Byzantium, then Apollonius of Alexandria, the so-called Classifier 3; and after him Aristarchus son of Aristarchus, of Alexandria, but originally of Samothrace; he became also the teacher of the children of Philopator 4. He was followed by Cydas, of the spearmen 5; and under the ninth king 6 there flourished Ammonius, Zenodotus, Diocles, and Apollodorus the grammarians 7.
Notes: 1. The beginning of the list is missing. Zenodotus of Ephesus was the director of the library before Apollonius.
2. A mistake for "third".
3. Greek: Eidographos.
4. A mistake for (? ) Philometor.
5. Greek: lonchophoroi.
6. (? ) Ptolemy Euergetes II.
7. Another, completely unrelated, list follows in the papyrus at this point.
ARATUS OF SOLI
Aratus wrote the Phaenomena, a poem about astronomy which was much admired by the Greeks and Romans
The lives are translated from the Greek text in J. Martin's edition of the Scholia
The numbers in red are the page numbers in Martin's edition.
1. The family and life of Aratus
6 The father of the poet Aratus was Athenodorus, and his mother was Letophila. He had three brothers, called Myris, Caliondas and Athenodorus, who had the same name as his father. Aratus mentions his brothers in the letters which are attributed to him. Asclepiades of Myrleia in the eleventh book of his "About Grammarians" says that Aratus came from Tarsus, and not from Soli. But Callimachus, a learned and trustworthy writer, says that he came from Soli, in the following lines:
I suspect that the poet of Soli
Has skimmed off only the sweetest of his verses
- and almost all other writers agree with him.
Soli was a very distinguished city in Cilicia, the home of many excellent men; it is now called Pompeiopolis. There is another city called Soli in Cyprus; but the inhabitants of the Cyprian city were called Solioi, whereas the inhabitants of the Cilician city were called Soleis, as is made clear by the quotation from Callimachus above. [There follows a discussion about how adjectives are formed from city names. ]
7 Solon mentions [Cyprian Soli] in his elegies addressed to king Cypranor, who was advised by Solon to found the city, and in gratitude for this advice named the city Soli after him. This is what Solon says:
But now may you and your family long dwell
In this city as lords of the Solians,
And may Cypris of the violet crown give me a safe journey
From this famous island in a swift ship.
Aratus lived during the reign of Antigonus Gonatas, the king of Macedonia. Antigonus was the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes, and he was married to Phila, the daughter of Seleucus and Stratonice. 8 Because he was a lover of literature and very fond of poetry, he was eager to bring together many cultivated writers, including Aratus. When Aratus joined the king, he was well received on account of his learning and his poetry, and he was instructed by the king to write the Phaenomena. The king gave him a copy of Eudoxus' book entitled "Mirror" (Katoptron) and asked him to put Eudoxus' prose description of the stars into verse. The king said, "You will make Eudoxus more famous (eudoxoteron) by putting his discoveries into verse".
Antigonus was [king] in the 125th Olympiad [280-277 B. C. ], at which time Aratus and Alexander of Aetolia were in their prime. In his own letters Aratus mentions the "Mirror" of Eudoxus, Antigonus, Alexander of Aetolia, and how he was requested by the king to write [the Phaenomena].
Aratus is said to have been a student of Dionysius of Heracleia. He produced an edition of the Odyssey, and so this is called the "edition of Aratus", similarly to the editions of Aristarchus and Aristophanes. Some say that he went to Syria and stayed with Antiochus, who asked him to produce an edition of the Iliad, because it had been contaminated by many others.
Others says that Nicander of Colophon was a contemporary of Aratus and Antigonus; that Aratus did not know anything about astronomy and Nicander did not know anything about medicine, but nevertheless Antigonus commanded Aratus, who was a doctor, to write the Phaenomena and Nicander, who was an astronomer, to write the Theriaca and Alexipharmaca; and that therefore both of them made mistakes in the technical details of their subjects. 9 But those who say this are mistaken. They do nor realise that Nicander was not a contemporary of Aratus, but lived many years later. For Antigonus, in whose reign Aratus lived, was king at the same time as the first and second Ptolemy; but Nicander lived during the reign of the fifth Ptolemy [204-180 B. C. ]. Callimachus mentions Aratus as being older than himself, not only in his epigrams, but also in his [letters] to Praxiphanes; he is full of praise [for Aratus] as an erudite and outstanding poet.
Aratus was an admirer of Hesiodus, as Callimachus indicates in the epigram about him:
The subject and the style belong to Hesiodus; but though he is not
(? ) The least of poets, I suspect that the poet of Soli
Has skimmed off only the sweetest of his verses; hail,
Subtle utterances, the earnest endeavours of Aratus.
Aratus wrote other books, about Homerus and the Iliad, a Description of Bones, Medicinal Properties, a Hymn to Pan, Weather Signs, Scythicon and other minor works; but the Phaenomena was his most successful poem, so much so that its fame far surpasses all other writers. For Eudoxus of Cnidus wrote a book called Phaenomena, as did Lasus of Magnesia (not Lasus of Hermione, but a different writer with the same name), Hermippus, Hegesianax, 10 Aristophanes of Byzantium and many others. King Ptolemy mentions them in his "Personalities", as follows:
Hegesianax, Hermippus and many others
Compiled books about the stars and all the constellations
In the sky; nor did they (? ) miss the mark.
But the subtly-speaking Aratus holds the crown.
There were many other distinguished men called Aratus, such as the historians, Aratus of Cnidus, author of historical works about Egypt, and (thirdly) the famous Aratus of Sicyon, who wrote the "Multi-book history", containing more than 30 books.
Almost all writers agree that the letters attributed to Aratus, which we mentioned above, were written by him and are genuine. But Apollonides (? ) Cepheus in the eighth book of his "Historical Fakes" says that they were written by Sabirius Pollio, and not by Aratus. Apollonides says that Sabirius Pollio also wrote the letters which are attributed to Euripides.
2. The family of the poet Aratus
11 The family of the poet Aratus lived at Soli in Cilicia. His father was Athenodorus and his mother was Letophila. His father belonged to a distinguished family, who had many claims to fame, and had given good service in war. They had even liberated their homeland on several occasions.
Aratus lived at the time of king [Ptolemy] Philadelphus [282-246 B. C. ]. He was a contemporary of Alexander of Aetolia and Philetas; and also of Dionysius the philosopher, who deserted his school for a life of pleasure. Aratus wrote an account of Dionysius' teachings.
Aratus wrote various minor works; but there are four which are worthy of mention:
Medicinal properties
The (? ) cutting of the rule (Kanonos Katatome)
Phaenomena
On the rising [of the sun] - some say this was written by Hegesianax, and not by Aratus
12 Some writers think that Aratus was a doctor by training; and that he was a close friend of Nicander, an astronomer, to whom he gave the Theriaca which he had written. In return, he received the Phaenomena from Nicander, and presented it as his own work.
His Phaenomena is divided into three parts: constellations, the risings and settings of the stars, and weather signs.
In the composition of the poem, he followed the style of Homerus; but some say that he was more influenced by Hesiodus. For just as Hesiodus at the start of the "Works and Days" began with a hymn to Zeus:
Muses of Pieria, who give praise in song, come speak of Zeus,
so Aratus at the beginning of his poem said
Let us start with Zeus.
Aratus copied Hesiodus in his account of the Golden Age, and in many other myths. Boethus of Sidon in the first book of his "On Aratus" says that he imitated Homerus rather than Hesiodus; for Aratus is much grander than Hesiodus in his style of writing.
Many other writers composed Phaenomena, including Cleopater, Sminthes, Alexander of Aetolia, 13 Alexander of Ephesus, Alexander Lycaites, Anacreon, Artemidorus and Hipparchus; but the brilliant power of Aratus' poem puts them all in the shade. Aratus used the force of the natural philosophers; he said that there is one power which controls the details of the universe, including the years, the months, the days, the hours, and the risings and settings of the sun, the moon and the five planets. He says that the earth has the shape of a spherical body in the universe; it is motionless, and its size is 252,000 stades.
Some say that Aratus did not write the present introduction to the poem, but it was added later. They say that the original start of the poem was as follows:
Ancleides, holy offshoot of strangers [ see comment on line 733 ]
This is the end of our account of Aratus' life, family, education, prowess and contemporaries.
3. The family of Aratus
14 Aratus' father was Athenodorus, and his mother was Letophila. His family lived at Soli in Cilicia, which was named after Solon of Lindus. He had three brothers, Lyres, Calliondas and Athenodorus. According to Euphranor, this Athenodorus wrote a reply to the calumnies of Zoilus.
Aratus became famous while he was staying with Antigonus, king of Macedonia. Antigonus became king in the following fashion. 15 After the death of Alexander, Macedonia was ruled by Philippus Arrhidaeus. When Arrhidaeus died, he was succeeded by Seleucus Nicanor, who was killed by Ptolemy Ceraunus, the son of Ptolemy Soter and Eurydice. Ptolemy became king of Macedonia, but he was killed by the Gauls. Then the Macedonians chose Sosthenes as their leader, after whom Antigonus the son of Philippus became their king. Antigonus' son was Demetrius Poliorcetes, and Demetrius' son was Antigonus Gonatas. It was this Antigonus with whom Aratus stayed, along with Persaeus the Stoic, Antagoras of Rhodes (the author of the Thebais) and Alexander of Aetolia, as Antigonus himself relates in his [letter] to Hieronymus. After joining the king, Aratus first read to him his poem to Pan of Arcadia, and then at the king's command he wrote the Phaenomena.
16 Aratus was an associate of Zenon the Stoic, and he wrote a letter to Zenon. He wrote very many works, according to Callimachus.
Dositheus the politician says in his [letter] to Diodorus that Aratus also went to Antiochus the son of Seleucus, and stayed with him for some time.
Antigonus provided Aratus with the subject matter for the Phaenomena; he gave him Eudoxus' book and told him to use it as his guide. Because of this, some of the less intelligent commentators have thought that Aratus had no knowledge of astronomy. 17 They suppose that the Phaenomena of Eudoxus was Aratus' sole source of information for the poem. This is the opinion of Hipparchus of Bithynia, who tries to prove it in his book "On Eudoxus and Aratus". A similar opinion is expressed by Dionysius . . . [and Poseidonius] in his "Comparison of Aratus and Homerus in matters of astronomy", who says:
We would not consider him a doctor for writing "Medicinal Properties", nor will we consider him an astronomer for writing a poem which contains nothing except what can be found in Eudoxus' book.
These writers are exaggerating considerably. It takes some understanding of astronomy to know how to express the ideas; and we can find many instances in which Aratus' understanding was better than that of Eudoxus. Callimachus, who lived at about the same time as Aratus, 18 already says "connected to the endeavours of Aratus" when talking of the study of astronomy, because of Aratus' careful observations. Many other writers wrote Phaenomena after Aratus, but none of them are considered worthy of note.
This is the end [of our remarks] about him.
4. The family of Aratus
19 Aratus' father was Athenodorus, and his mother was Letodora; they lived at Soli in Cilicia. They say that the city was named after Solon of Lindus, and it is now called Pompeiopolis. Aratus lived at the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, and he was a student of Dionysius of Heracleia. He resided with Antigonus the king of Macedonia and his wife Phila, and he was a contemporary of Alexander of Aetolia, Callimachus, Menander and Philetas. 20 Aratus had three brothers, Myris, Calondas and Athenodorus. This Athenodorus is said to have been the first to reply to Zoilus' attacks on the poetry of Homerus.
Aratus was a student of the philosopher Persaeus at Athens, and he accompanied Persaeus when he was summoned to Macedonia by Antigonus. He was present at the wedding of Antigonus and Phila, where he was well received, and he spent the rest of his life in Macedonia.
Antigonus was the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes, and he became king in about the (? ) 125th Olympiad [280-277 B. C. ], when Ptolemy Philadelphus was king of Egypt. So the story that is put about by some, that Aratus lived at the same time as Nicander of Colophon, the writer of the Theriaca, is shown to be false, [that they made an agreement, Aratus to work on the Phaenomena, and Nicander on the Theriaca], because Nicander is shown to have lived twelve whole Olympiads later than Aratus.
21 Some say that Aratus was the son of Mnaseas, and he was taught by an astronomer called Aristotherus. He was trained as a doctor, and was a poet at the court of Antigonus. He met [Callimachus] of Cyrene when Callimachus was an old man, and was chosen to be the subject of one of his epigrams. He was a contemporary of the astronomer Nicander, who was also one of Antigonus' circle. Some say that Aratus was an imitator of Homerus, but others say he was more an imitator of Hesiodus.
5. Comment in the Scholia, on line 733 of the Phaenomena
Do you not see? When the slender [moon] . . . : Because these words seem to be addressed to someone else, [some editors] were led to insert the introduction which names Ancleides. But they did not realise that this is poetical device, as in Homerus:
Then you would not have seen Agamemnon shirking [ Iliad 4. 223 ]
Patroclus the knight [ Iliad 16. 20 ]
and Nor you, Menelaus [ Iliad 4. 127 ]
Following these examples, later writers used the same device.
LYCOPHRON
Lycophron wrote Alexandra, the most deliberately obscure poem in the Greek language
Johannes Tzetzes, a Byzantine scholar, wrote a commentary on the poem in the 12th century A. D.
The life is translated from the Greek text in E. Scheer's edition of Lycophron
The Greek text of "On Comedy" is in G. Kaibel, "Comicorum Graecorum Fragmenta"
The numbers in red are the section numbers in Kaibel's text
1. TZETZES: The family of Lycophron
The family of this Lycophron lived in Chalcis. He was the son of Socles, or according to some of the historian Lycus. He was one of the seven poets who, because they were seven in number, were called the Pleias. Their names were:
Theocritus, who wrote the bucolic poems
Aratus, who wrote the Phaenomena and other poems
Nicander
Aeantides - or Apollonius, who wrote the Argonautica
Philicus
Homerus the younger, son of Andromachus, from Byzantium, a tragedian who wrote 57 plays (there was another Homerus, who I think lived at the same time as Hesiodus, though some also attribute the poems of the ancient Homer to him)
This Lycophron
Though some wrongly say that there were others in the Pleias.
These poets lived at the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus [282-246 B.
