The Greek Anthology: from Meleager to Planudes

by Alan Cameron

Overview

The Greek Anthology is one of the great books of European literature, "a garden containing the flowers and weeds of 1500 years of Greek epigram." Cameron's study adds a wealth of new information about its growth over an even longer period, from the earliest papyrus anthologies down to the 1606 rediscovery of the Palatine Anthology (AP), our principal source for the entire history of Greek epigram, from Simonides to the Byzantine age. It was a Byzantine schoolmaster, Constantine Cephalas, who excerpted all the major ancient collections around 900. His work is reconstructed from a closer analysis of AP (ca 940) and the various later collections. Following a number of neglected clues, Cameron identifies the compiler of AP as Constantine the Rhodian, and solves the mystery of the wanderings of AP during the renaissance, showing that it once belonged to Sir Thomas More.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198140238
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/24/1993
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	5.69(w) x 8.75(h) x 1.18(d)

About the Author

Columbia University

Editorial Reviews

"This is a book of extraordinary learning....[Cameron] has shirked no problem, and time after time illuminates the context of Cephalas' composition that have been only mysteries till now....no one interested in the textual history of the AP or APl can afford to ignore the conclusions of this book. There is at the moment no other remotely similar guide to the text....this is the standard against which all future work will be measured."—Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"This work of great erudition will serve for many years as the book to which students will turn to learn about the origins of the Palatine anthology and its relationships with other epigram collections coming to us from Byzantine compilers....Cameron's thorough and reasonable treatment of innumerable problems and misinterpretations put our understanding of the nature, dating, and transmission of Palatine anthology on a firmer foundation than it has ever enjoyed before."—Religious Studies Review

"A study of the evolution of the Greek Anthology from its beginnings to the rediscovery of the Palatine Anthology in 1606. The theme is a vast and complicated one....This lengthy book, written with verve and occasional flashes of humour, is a masterly treatment of the theme and is certain to be the standard work for a long time to come. By his exhaustive use of the evidence Cameron has illuminated the growth of the Greek Anthology as never before and by his probing questions and stimulating hypotheses has set the agenda for much future research in the field."—The Classical Review

From the Publisher