Automedon, an epigrammatist included in Philip’s Garland, most likely lived in the 1st century BC. Although only twelve poems have been handed down under his name – one of which may be spurious – the poet’s work stands out in the Greek Anthology for its originality and variety of structures and themes, almost all of which are satirical or erotic.
This volume contains the first modern commentary devoted exclusively to the epigrams of Automedon. In the introduction, after the analysis of issues relating to Automedon’s biography and the transmission of his work, the epigrammatist’s literary profile is carefully outlined. A new critical text is provided for each poem, as well as a detailed line-by-line analysis of the thematic, linguistic, philological, and stylistic aspects; the Greek text is accompanied by a new Italian translation.
This book provides new interpretative and textual proposals for several problematic passages and brings to light the specific characteristics of the author’s work, including its connections with and references to the contemporary Roman socio-cultural context and Latin poetry.