Classical seminar: Contextualisation, Literarisation and Geopoetic Function in the New Epigram Collection of Posidippus

The publication of 112 epigrams from a Hellenistic papyrus roll in 2001 turned out to be a sensation: the epigrams could be attributed to the famous Hellenistic poet Poseidippus of Pella, and the collection proved to be the earliest example of a well-structured epigram book. In the paper the organization of the epigrams within the collection will be discussed with regard to questions of contextualization and literarisation. A special focus will be given to the technique of constructing and using ‘space’ for political and cultural intention.

About Poseidippus

Poseidippus would be of interest for a wider audience, too, because it is one of those really sensational findings in Greek literature/poetry of the past years. Finally, Poseidippus is also highly interesting because his “new” poems significantly enlarge the genre of epigram (viz. the New Poseidippus encompasses types/sub-genres of epigramm that had previously been completely unknown).

About Baumbach

One of his numerous fields of research is Hellenistic poetry, in particular the epigrammatist Poseidippus. He is a co-editor of the collected volume Labored in Papyrus Leaves: Perspectives on an Epigram Collection Attributed to Posidippus (P. Mil. Vogl. VIII 309), 2004 – thus he was one of the very first scholars to work on the New Poseidippus after the publication of its editio princeps in 2001/02.

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