Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 4594
(formerly typ/2670)

	Αἴτνη τίς ἐστιν Ἰταλῶν ὄρος μέγα,
	ἐξ ἧς καταρρεῖ παμφάγου πυρὸς νᾶμα
	μέχρι πολίχνης Κατάνης λεγομένης·
	ῥοιβδεῖ δὲ δεινῶς ὡς ποταμὸς ἐκρέον·
	πνεῦμα γὰρ ἐν γῆς ἐμπεσὸν ταῖς κοιλάσι
	κισσήρεως νάφθης τε πεπληρωμένης,
	χωροῦν σοβαρῶς ἐκπυροῦται τῇ βίᾳ·
	εὑρὸν δὲ ταῖς σήραγξιν ὕδωρ ἐκρέον
	τὸ πνεῦμα παντάπασιν ἠραιωμένον
	ἀναφλογωθὲν ἐξανάπτει πῦρ ῥέον.

Title(s)	Στίχοι εἰς τὸ Αἰτναῖον πῦρ
Text source	C. Herington, 1972, The older scholia on the Prometheus Bound, Leiden: 241-242
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Critical text
Genre(s)	Text-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	Aeschylus Etna Prometheus
Tag(s)	Reference to content of the book
Translation(s)	The Etna is a big mountain of Italy, from which a stream of all-devouring fire flows down to the city called Catania, and it moves with a terrible whistle, as a river that flows forth. For when a puff of air has fallen into the valleys of the earth, which has been filled with stones and inflammable liquid, it violently goes forward and is burnt up with strength. But if it encounters water flowing from caves, the puff, completely rarefied, kindles the inflamed flowing fire. Language English Source(s) DBBE (last accessed: 2026-04-12). Translator(s) Anne-Sophie Rouckhout, Rachele Ricceri Aetna quidam est Italorum mons ingens, ex quo decurrit omnivori ignis flumen usque ad oppidulum Catinam dictum, stridetque horrendum, ceu amnis effluens: spiritus enim e terra cum excidit in-cavernas pumice naphthaque repletas, vehementer incedens inflammatur vi, inventaque in rimis aqua effluente, auram omnino rarefactam inflammatus incendit ignis fluens. Language Latin Source(s) E. Cougny, 1890, Epigrammatum Anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et Appendice nova epigrammatum veterum ex libris et marmoribus ductorum (vol. 3), Paris: 327
Bibliography	Primary A. Bandini, 1768, Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Mediceae Laurentianae (vol. 2), Florence: 44 E. Cougny, 1890, Epigrammatum Anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et Appendice nova epigrammatum veterum ex libris et marmoribus ductorum (vol. 3), Paris: 327 T. Stanley, 1663, Aeschyli Tragoediae Septem cum Scholiis Graecis omnibus, London: Secondary M. Tomadaki, E. van Opstall 2019, The Tragedians from a Byzantine Perspective: Book Epigrams on Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, Medioevo Greco. Rivista di storia e filologia bizantina. (MEG), 19, 193-220: 196
Number of verses	10
Occurrence(s)	[36289] (...)ἴτνη τίς ἐστιν ἰταλῶν ὄρος μέγα [1344] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (BML) - Conv. Soppr. 7 [1344] (f. 39r) (5 verses) [36299] ἐξ ἧς καταρρεῖ παμφάγου πυρὸς νάμα [1344] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (BML) - Conv. Soppr. 7 [1344] (f. 39v) (5 verses) [22102] αἴτνη τίς (ἐστιν) ἰταλ(ῶν) ὄρο(ς) μέγ(ας) [1276-1400] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (BML) - Plut. 28, Cod. 25 [1276-1300] (f. 67v) (10 verses) [21114] Αἴτνη τίς ἐστιν ἰταλῆς ὄρος μέγα [15th c.] MILAN - Biblioteca Ambrosiana N 175 sup. [15th c.] (f. 21r) (10 verses) [25387] αἴτνη τί ἐστι(ν) ἰταλ(ῶν) ὄρος μέγα [1401-1450] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Vat. gr. 58 [15th c.] (f. 43r) (10 verses)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Cristina Cocola, Raf Praet, Julián Bértola, Ilse De Vos, Maria Tomadaki, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout, Rachele Ricceri The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Anthologia Graeca Appendix, III.III.218 Vassis ICB 2005, 23: "De monte Aetna"
Permalink	https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/4594

Last modified: 2025-02-17.

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