The post-classical compilation recognized to trendy scholarship because the Latin Anthology incorporates a choice of 100 riddles, each one along with 3 hexameters and preceded by way of a lemma. it's going to look from the preface to this assortment that they have been composed extempore at a dinner to have fun the Roman Saturnalia. The paintings was once to have a defining effect on later collections of riddles; but its identify (probably the Aenigmata) has been debated, and virtually not anything is understood approximately its writer: questions have even been requested approximately his identify (Symphosius?) and date (4th-5th centuruy Ad?).
In this variation of the riddles, the Introducion discusses the work's name and its author's identification: in addition to his identify and date, it considers his nationwide foundation (North African?) and highbrow history (a specialist grammarian?), and argues that he used to be no longer Christian, as has been urged. It examines the Saturnalian historical past to the paintings, environment it in its sociological context, and discusses the author's literary money owed – specifically to Martial. The advent additionally explores the author's ordering and association of the riddles, discusses his literary kind, Latinity and metre, and reviews in short on his Nachleben. It concludes with a survey of the textual culture. The statement on every one riddle contains a translation, basic notes at the item it describes (with reference, as precious, to museums and artefacts), and dialogue of the way it suits into the ordering of the gathering, of version readings and, with appropriate representation, of literary, stylistic and metrical concerns. different parts, resembling historical past and mythology, also are coated the place proper.
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Additional info for Symphosius The Aenigmata: An Introduction, Text and Commentary
S. v. chalybs §II), of a farm enforce, most likely a scythe; cf. Cato Agr. 10. three ‘falces fenarias’. pictures of scythe blades are available in White Farming, plates 39 and forty. See too White Implements ninety eight ff. The hardness of this scythe is emphasised via the juxtaposition of duro and mollis and the alliteration of the contrasting mollis and metallo. With ‘mollis praecisa’, cf. Pliny Nat. 18. 260 ‘[sc. faenum] secandum antequam inarescat’. even if praecido survives e. g. of lopping bushes (OLD2 s. v. praecido §1a; cf. Marcellus Med. 25. 14 ‘eam [sc. herbam] sine ferro praecides’), it may even have extra brutal ‘cutting’ institutions, e. g. within the context of actual mutilation: cf. e. g. Pl. Aul. 189 154 Symphosius The Aenigmata linguam, Cic. Inv. 2. fifty nine manum. this might accord either with the hay’s personification and the adjective duro. The distinction among the gentle grass and difficult scythe calls to brain to a point the pathos of Verg. A. nine. 435–6 ‘purpureus veluti cum flos succisus aratro/ languescit moriens’. three mole premor propria: mole by means of pr- probably performs on mollis by means of pr- in line 2. The hay is pressed down via its personal ‘bulk’ (OLD2 s. v. moles §4) or ‘weight’ (OLD2 s. v. moles §7b) not just since it is huge yet simply because, now that it truly is now not greensward, nobody else is mendacity on it: premere is common of mendacity on a sofa: cf. Petr. 131. nine and Prop. 2. 29B. 35 ‘toro . . . presso’. For propria hence, cf. Phaedr. 1. four. 1 ‘amittit merito proprium qui alienum petit. ’ The p alliteration offers it emphasis. tecto conclusa sub alto: cf. Var. R. 1. fifty six ‘faenisciae conduntur melius sub tecto quam in acervis, quod ita fit iucundius pabulum’, even supposing Varro easily ability ‘under cover’. Alto right here issues specifically to the faenilia or hayloft, for which see Col. 1. 6. nine. Conclusa indicates tight packing, in accordance with ‘mole premor propria’. fifty one A mill we're a couple of stones, we're as one, and we lie put as a couple. As lazy as one is, the opposite isn't. the previous continues to be unmoving, the latter doesn't stop to be moved. MSS: A βcK gGhIVwawb le. mola: the singular mola frequently shows a unmarried millstone (L-S s. v. mola §I, OLD2 s. v. mola §1a), however the riddle sincerely refers right here to a whole mill; cf. Paul. dig. 33. 7. 18. five ‘est . . . meta inferior pars molae, catillus superior’. This mill keeps the series of vegetation and similar items starting with Aenig. 50 and, regardless of the difference in which means, mola right here hyperlinks with mole, Aenig. 50. three. the big advertisement grain generators from Pompeii are particularly popular: see Moritz bankruptcy eleven, Ward-Perkins and Claridge fifty one, Michael furnish, The paintings and lifetime of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Milan 1979. those have been most likely grew to become by means of animals, frequently asses, and never via slaves: Moritz bankruptcy thirteen. Line three ‘non desinit . . . moveri’ most likely recollects the relentless toil to which they have been subjected; cf. Apul. Met. nine. eleven ‘nec die tantum, verum perpeti etiam nocte’ and notice Moritz 98–9. generally, see White apparatus 12 ff. The omission of this riddle via D and a few different MSS could have been caused via the mole/mola echo famous above, specifically if the lemma used to be justified to the left margin.