News

• Anno: 2019
• Autore/i: Filippo Canali De Rossi
• Catalogo: Scienze e Lettere
• Argomento: Storia antica
• Collana: SCRIPTORUM ANTIQUORUM TITULI
• ISBN: 978-88-6687-156-9
• ISSN:

€ 18,00

Versione stampata

La serie denominata Scriptorum Antiquorum Tituli si propone di indagare i rapporti sussistenti fra epigrafia e letteratura, rac-cogliendo le iscrizioni che menzionano autori della letteratura antica (in primo luogo di coloro di cui ci siano tramandate le opere o testimonianze circa l’attività letteraria, in secondo luogo anche degli autori attestati esclusivamente dalle stesse iscrizioni) inserendole in un contesto biografico che non si dovrà ritenere esaustivo ma preliminare. L’opera è rivolta tanto ai cultori della epigrafia, raccogliendo ed indicizzando una quantità di materiale epigrafico di varia pro-venienza e pubblicazione, quanto agli studiosi della letteratura greca e latina, e in particolare ai docenti di ogni ordine e grado, sia italiani che stranieri (per questo l’opera è stata concepita ed intrapresa in lingua latina), al fine di permettere un facile acces-so a quelle testimonianze che spesso risultano decisive nella ri-costruzione del profilo biografico degli autori. In questo primo fascicolo l’autore, Filippo Canali De Rossi, che si è laureato nel 1987 in Epigrafia Greca ed è dottore di ricerca in Storia antica dal 1992 con una esperienza internazionale di ricerca ed un ruolo più che decennale nell’insegnamento liceale di letteratura latina e greca, offre un primo saggio di elabora-zione della materia attraverso la raccolta delle testimonianze epigrafiche ma anche biografiche relative a poeti dell’epica ed ai filosofi greci. In successivi fascicoli saranno addotti materiali relativi ad autori, tanto greci che latini, di altri generi letterarî.

I N D E X

Praefatio
Index
Memoria prima: De heroica et didascalica poësi

Caput I: Homerus
Caput II: Poëtae alii qui materiam heroicam tractaverunt
Caput III: Hesiodus
Caput IV: Poëtae heroici aetatis mediae
Caput V: Panyassis, Herodoti consobrinus vel avunculus
Caput VI: De recentioribus poëtis heroicis

Memoria secunda: De philosophis et eorum scholis

Caput VII: De septem et aliis sapientibus
Caput VIII: Philosophi physici vel praesocratici
Caput IX: Sophistae
Caput X: Socrates
Caput XI: Plato
Caput XII: De aliis discipulis Socraticis
Caput XIII: Academia
Caput XIV: De schola Cynica
Caput XV: Aristoteles
Caput XVI: Schola Aristotelis
Caput XVII: Schola Sceptica
Caput XVIII: Epicurus
Caput XIX: De schola Epicurea
Caput XX: De Stoa

Bibliographia
Indices personarum, locorurum, verborum et fontium

F.to 17x24, pp. 168, Brossura filorefe

RECENSIONE

Richard Westall, Notice of Publication

Canali de Rossi, Filippo. Scriptorum Antiquorum Tituli. 1: De rationibus quae inter auctores litterarum et titulos occurrunt. Roma: Scienze e Lettere, 2019. €18,00. ISBN 978-88-6687-156-9.

Assembling 126 epigraphic texts that relate to the epic poets and philosophers of ancient Greece, Canali de Rossi presents them in the original Greek with an accompanying modern Latin translation that he has produced himself. Covering the period extending from Homer to Marcus Aurelius, in terms of texts and subject, this volume brings together material that will be useful to researchers, teachers, and students, providing brief introductions and extensive footnotes that equip readers with essential context for the texts under discussion. The core of the book is divided into two parts, with the first (pp. 1-10, texts 1-15) covering epic and didactic poets and the second dedicated to the philosophers and their schools (pp. 11-92, texts 16-126). The text is complemented by a full bibliography (pp. 93-96) and – mirabile dictu – ten indices (pp. 97-157). Dealing with (1) personal names in Latin, (2) personal names in Greek, (3) place names in Latin, (4) place names in Greek, (5) Greek words, (6) ancient Latin words, (7) sententiae or proverbs, (8) the titles of ancient lost works, (9) literary texts, and (10) epigraphic texts. This is a slim volume, but one that manifestly required an immense amount of time to produce, and the production is of an extremely high quality. It accomplishes for a modern readership something akin to that achieved by Atticus for Cicero and contemporaries wishing to know more about Roman history. The texts presented range from instances of the unadorned name of a philosopher (e.g. no. 113, for a herm discovered at Herculaneum) to elaborate praises in honour of Homer (e.g. no. 4, for a herm coming from the villa that the author Aelianus possessed in the vicinity of Rome) to moral injunctions (e.g. no. 19, set up for display at Miletupolis) to snippets of philosophical discourse (e.g. no. 22, from the titulus set up by Diogenes of Oenoanda) to imperial letters (e.g. no. 103, commemorating the interest of Plotina and Hadrian in the Epicureans at Athens). Transmitted on stone, in mosaic, or via the manuscript tradition and covering a vast geographic area (from Autun in Gaul to Ai Khanoum in Bactria), these epigraphic texts are key in helping to inform us of the ideas of ancient thinkers and their reception by Graeco-Roman culture at large. As such, they will very nicely supplement standard materials given to students when teaching authors such as Homer, Plato, Aristotle, or the Stoics. These texts also invite scholars, however, to reflect further upon the cultural milieu in which image and word interacted in the transmission of philosophical and theological thought in the Graeco-Roman world. Why speak of Homer as “divine”? Why commit philsophical musings to epigraphic format for public display? What was the relationship between the content and appearance of a text (e.g. letter-forms) and the sculpted image that adorned a herm? Canali de Rossi does not address any of these questions, but his elegant volume enables us to begin to ask them and to consider possible answers. As such, it is a supremely philosophical work of historical investigation and textual criticism. The high level of attention to detail and the scholarly concern to present not only the original text but also an accompanying translation for the tituli assembled in this volume confirms, in this reader’s opinion, that Canali de Rossi is the pre-eminent epigrapher of his generation in Italy today. This is truly a work appropriate to stand on the bookshelf next to the classic, perennially useful volumes of Luigi Moretti. The choice of Latin is a possible strength, as it will make this volume available to an international audience that does not know Italian. On the other hand, in the age of ultrafascist nationalism, it is to be wondered whether people who struggle to comprehend their own language will be capable of understanding Latin, even when it is limpid as in the present instance. Be that as it may, this is a work of outstanding scholarship in the best of the Classical tradition. It should be added that the volume reveals great care taken in terms of production and presentation, with an evident investment of much time and energy in meticulous proofreading. The final result is an elegant, useful volume that brings together and presents in exemplary fashion texts that are otherwise widely scattered. It should be of interest to anyone working on Greek intellectual history and its reception.

ACADEMIA EDU