Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

• Author-related epigram
• Scribe-related epigram
• Text-related epigram

Poet

John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/

• Herakles
• John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/
• Thucydides (5th c. BC)

• Address to the author
• Correction
• Criticism of the author
• Polemic
• Reference to content of the book
• Scholium
• Self-presentation

• No, it wasn’t thus, Thucydides, not at all.
  A certain bull fled from Herakles
  and came out from the sea upon those lands.
  Herakles ran everywhere looking for it
  and chanced upon a man of barbarian race.
  He asked him if he had seen a bull in the lands of those parts,
  and he replied that he had seen, not a bull, but an italos,
  using his word for bull in his barbarian language.
  And so this became the name of this land henceforth.
  You, then, ancient historian, whoever you are, fear Tzetzes,
  not even a supernatural spirit can get away from him!

  Language

  English

  Source(s)

  A. Kaldellis, 2015, Byzantine Readings of Ancient Historians, Abingdon and New York: 76

• It is not possible in this way at all, Thucydides. A bull, after escaping from Hercules, emerged from the sea to the land. Searching for him, Hercules wandered everywhere, and after he met a man of barbaric origin, he asked him whether he saw a bull somewhere nearby. He answered that he had not seen any bulls, but an italos – because he used the barbaric name for bull. From then onwards this had become the name of the area. You chronicler, whoever you are, be afraid of Tzetzes, because not even a supernatural creature is able to avoid his noticing.

  Language

  English

  Source(s)

  T. Mészáros 2013, Byzantine Metrical Scholia on Thucydides, in P. Fodor, G. Mayer, M. Monostori, K. Szovák, L. Takács (eds.), More modoque: die Wurzeln der europäischen Kultur und deren Rezeption im Orient und Okzident; Festschrift für Miklós Maróth zum siebzigsten Geburtstag, Budapest, 67-76: 74

• No, la cose non stanno in nessun modo così, o Tucidide! Un toro invece, fuggendo da Eracle, attraversato il mare, si addentrò in quella terra là. Eracle, cercandolo, correndo dappertutto, incontrato un uomo di stirpe barbara, lo apostrofò (chiedendogli) se per caso avesse visto un tauros nelle terre di quella regione: e costui rispose che un tauros no, non l aveva visto, ma aveva visto però, un italos, chiamando così il toro nella sua lingua barbara: questo da allora in poi diventa il nome della regione. Tu, antico storico, chiunque tu sia, abbi timore di Tzetzes: infatti con lui neanche un essere soprannaturale è capace di farla franca.

  Language

  Italian

  Source(s)

  M. Luzzatto, 1999, Tzetzes lettore di Tucidide: note autografe sul Codice Heidelberg Palatino Greco 252, Bari: 76

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