Martial Book XIII: The Xenia. Text with introduction and discourse

Farouk Grewing , Harvard University. , -koeln.de

Research on Martial is expanding continuously recently. The commentary under overview is T.J. Leary’s (henceforth: L.’s) next one on a book of Martial’s, an achievement thus far paired merely by Peter Howell, whom took both e-books we and V under his wings. We should become indebted to L. for having taken up so painstaking a task as creating accessible the two maybe many underestimated and ignored products of Martial, that’s, 1st the Apophoreta (L.’s commentary of six years ago are henceforth named a€?L. 1996′) and today the Xenia. These publications, that generally contain two-line poems only, pose some challenge for the scholar and general audience alike.

I may need to apologize when it comes to extortionate duration of this assessment, but given the complex character from the Xenia as well as the proven fact that still not enough Latinists look like willing to regard this collection (or perhaps the Apophoreta, for example) as an intricate bit of literary works, which deserves to be interpreted appropriately, it felt justified to point out the multi-layered (esp. literary) factors tangled up in they and also to read from what degree the fresh commentary produces understanding while offering let for future investigations.

Evaluation by

L.’s Introduction (pp. 1-21), not the lowest as a result of the close character within this particular version of epigram range, fundamentally offers the exact same parts as their 1996 Apophoreta, therefore, understandably enough, L. (with afterthoughts) draws more content from his very own manage aforementioned and from their bit a€?Martial’s beginning Saturnalian Versea€? in my Toto notus in orbe (Stuttgart 1998).

Point (i) deals with the publication’s name, which like among Apophoreta could be the writer’s very own; and are also those of the average person things tituli (pp. 1-3, 37, 47). Research is built to the use of the expression a€?xenion’ in books, specially Roman (the majority of popular, needless to say, Plin. epist. 6.). Discrepancies in grammatical number between a poem’s lemma and its particular genuine outlines typically tends to be explained simply (metrical reasons; generalizing single vs. plural lemma, etc.; see the research on p. 58).

Part (ii) quickly summarizes basic factual statements about the Roman Saturnalia (origins, celebration, licenses, lotteries and merchandise); moreover it meets upon the sociological size of the festival and gift-giving relating to the conventions of patronage (p. 7, see in addition 15). 1 Lucian’s Saturnalia (discussed by L., p. 6; cf. p. 101), especially the a€?Kronosolon’ point (ch. 10-18), give additional understanding of festival-bound gift-exchange, some of which is included by L. 2

Section (iii), on the arrangement and construction regarding the guide, are significantly quicker versus exact same chapter in L.’s Apophoreta, since manuscripts in Xenia evidently never generate you boost https:/datingrating.net/okcupid-vs-tinder/ so many questions regarding missing products and odd lacunae – happily so, because a restoration with the a€?original’ order might-have-been even more complex compared to the actual situation of Book XIV, in which editors get some good assistance from the author’s declaration at 14.1.5 as to what concept of alternating sets (read L. 1996, pp. 13-21). In-book XIII, the rich-poor contrast isn’t a structural equipment; however, a€?rich’ and a€?poor’ were periodic top features of merchandise, e.g. in products 6, 27, 76, 106, and, implicitly, 45 and 103 (cf. pp. 51-52 and 96-97). Either way, inside Xenia, we be seemingly confronted by singular small distortion on the purchase, definitely, at 98-99, in which Lindsay’s transposition of Schneidewin’s 99-98 allows us to see 99-100 as a mini-unit (discover pp. 11 and 162-164). L. provides a neat and thorough a review of the publication’s plan, with interest becoming settled on the opening part, numerous groupings and sub-groupings, and to the closing. 3 talking about which, that is definitely true that, as L. shows (pp. 11 and 194), the ebook’s last items (127, Coronae roseae) significantly signals the end of the range by (a) handling the emperor (such as the first product, 4, following multiple proem!), and (b) by recalling the thought of a€?garlands’ of epigrams (such as the types by Philip and Meleager), and therefore Martial therefore dedicates the whole book on the princeps (cf. 8.82). Within his topic of the poem, L. usefully explains the big event and concept of rose garlands and the a€?unseasonal’ luxury of wintertime flowers in Rome. Inter alia, the guy makes reference to Horace, c. 1.38, whose basic stanza most likely is deserving of even more attention than L. acknowledges: Persicos odi, puer, device, / displicent nexae philyra, coronae, / mitte sectari, rosa quo locorum / sera moretur. D. Fowler, within his a€?us 24 , pp. 31-58, right here: 55), provides pointed out that Horace’s poem like Martial’s includes a reference to roses and, again like Martial’s, shuts a manuscript – plus, one should include, the a€?garland motif’. Is this a mere happenstance? Anyway, some mention of the fast developing investigation on a€?closure’ would-have-been necessary. 4