List of the works of Lucian of Samosata
The following list enumerates the traditional works of Lucian of Samosata alphabetically according to the grammatical order of the German titles . As far as possible, the German title follows the translation by Christoph Martin Wieland .
For the abbreviations used in scientific literature for Lukian's works, see List of Abbreviations by Ancient Authors and Work Titles / L # Lukian .
Greek title | Latin title | German title | description |
---|---|---|---|
Ἀλέξανδρος ἢ Ψευδόμαντις | Alexander | Alexander or The False Prophet | Lukian shows the oracle of Alexander von Abonuteichos as charlatanry. |
Ἀνάχαρσις ἢ Περὶ Γυμνασίων | Anacharsis | Anacharsis or About the Gymnastic Exercises | Solon explains the benefits of sport in Greece and other cultural institutions to the Scythian Anacharsis. |
Δὶς κατηγορούμενος | Until accusatus sive Tribunalia | The double accused | A Syrian (probably the author himself) is judged by rhetoric for mistreatment and by philosophical dialogue for arrogance (hubris). |
Ψευδολογιστής | Pseudologista | Apophras against a certain Timarchus | |
Περὶ τῆς Ἀστρολογίας | De Astrologia | From astrology | The origin and procedures of astrology are described. |
The risen → fishermen | |||
Διόνυσος | Bacchus | Bacchus | About Dionysus and his Indian campaign |
The bath → Hippias | |||
Greeting → Greetings | |||
Περὶ τοῦ Ἠλέκτρου ἢ Κύκνων | Electrum | The Amber or The Swans of Eridanos | Following the Phaethon myth, the author visits the Eridanos river , but finds neither amber nor swans there. |
Pictures → Panthea | |||
Πρὸς τὸν ἀπαίδευτον καὶ πολλὰ βιβλία ὠνούμενον | Adversus Indoctum | The ignorant book lover | |
Χαρίδημος ἢ Περὶ Κάλλους | Charidemus | Charidemus or About Beauty | |
Χάρων ἢ Ἐπισκοποῦντες | Charon sive Contemplantes | Charon or Die Weltbeschauer | Charon lets himself be shown on the upper world of Hermes how vain people's wishes are. |
Cronosolon → Saturnal Negotiations (Part 2) | |||
Δημώνακτος Βίος | Demonax | Demonax | Praise to the life of the Cynical philosopher Demonax |
Δημοσθένους Ἐγκώμιον | Demosthenis Encomium | Praise of Demosthenes | |
Περὶ τῶν Διψάδων | Dipsades | The dipsades | The dipsades are reptiles in Libya whose bite makes you insatiable thirsty. Lukian compares his thirst for applause from the addressed audience with the thirst of someone bitten by a dipsade. |
Ἀλκυὼν ἢ Περὶ Μεταμορφώσεων | Halcyon | The Kingfisher or The Metamorphosis | |
Runaway → slaves | |||
The donkey → Lucius | |||
Εὐνοῦχος | Eunuchus | The eunuch or the philosopher without gender | Two philosophers, including a eunuch, argue about whether a eunuch can take over the management of a philosophy school. |
Ψευδοσοφιστὴς ἢ Σολοικιστής | Soloecista | About grammatical mistakes | Treatise on solocisms |
Ἀναβιοῦντες ἢ Ἁλιεύς | Revivescentes sive piscator | The Fisherman or The Resurrected Philosophers | Lucian is accused of denigration by resurrected philosophers. Truth and philosophy absolve him. |
Μυίας Ἐγκώμιον | Muscae Encomium | The fly | Eulogy on the fly |
The stranger → Skythe | |||
Friendship → Toxaris | |||
Συμπόσιον ἢ Λαπίθαι | symposium | The Supper or The New Lapiths | At a wedding supper, philosophers get into a scuffle. |
Περὶ τῶν ἐν Μισθῷ συνόντων | De Mercede conductis | The sad lot of scholars who rent themselves to noble and wealthy families (the hired scholars) | Lukian warns his friend Timocles not to be employed as a scholar in a rich man's house. |
Πῶς δεῖ ἱστορίαν συγγράφειν | Quomodo historia conscribenda sit | How to write history | Lukian gives advice on how to properly write history. |
Θεῶν Διάλογοι | Dialogi Deorum | Talks with the gods | Mostly Olympic deities appear in conversation with one another, with other deities, or with mortals. |
Θεῶν Ἐκκλησία | Deorum Concilium | The assembly of gods | At the suggestion of Momos , Zeus decides that the gods will have to provide proof of ancestry in the future. |
Ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐν τῇ Προσαγορεύσει Πταίσματος | Pro Lapsu inter salutandum | Protective speech for a mistake made in greeting | Lukian apologizes for using a farewell formula instead of a greeting. |
Gymnastics → Anacharsis | |||
Ὄνειρος ἢ Ἀλεκτρυών | Gallus | The Rooster or The Dream of Mikyllos | Persiflage of the doctrine of wandering souls of Pythagoras |
Ἁρμονίδης | Harmonides | Harmonides | |
Ἡρακλῆς | Hercules | The Gallic Hercules | Essay on the Gallic Ogmios whom Lucian identifies with Heracles |
Ἑρμότιμος ἢ Περὶ Αἱρέσεων | Hermotimus | Hermotimus or From the Philosophical Sects | A certain Lykinos proves to the stoic Hermotimos the uselessness of philosophizing. |
Ἡρόδοτος ἢ Ἀετίων | Herodotus | Herodotus or Aetion | Both Herodotus' reading of his works in Olympia and a picture of Aetion from Alexander's wedding to Roxane are described. |
Διάλογος πρὸς Ἡσίοδον | Hesiodus | A little exchange with Hesiod | |
Ἑταιρικοὶ Διάλογοι | Dialogi Meretricii | Hetaeric talks | In fifteen dialogues, heterosexuals converse with one another, with their mothers or with their lovers. |
Ἱππίας ἢ Βαλανεῖον | Hippias | Hippias or The Bath | Description of a Roman thermal bath |
To an ignoramus | |||
Ἰκαρομένιππος ἢ Ὑπερνέφελος | Icaromenippus | Ikaromenippus or Die Luftreise | Menippos flies into space and looks at the world from above. |
Ζεὺς Τραγῳδός | Jupiter Tragoedus | The tragic Jupiter | Zeus and other gods attend a debate between a Stoic and an Epicurean as to whether gods existed and cared for people. |
Ζεὺς ἐλεγχόμενος | Jupiter confutatus | The transferred Jupiter | In a dialogue, a cynic Zeus proves the dependence of gods and humans on the Moiren . |
Caucasus → Prometheus | |||
Κυνικός | Cynicus | The cynic | A cynic tries to convince of his philosophy. |
Lapiths → banquet | |||
Λεξιφάνης | Lexiphanes | Lexiphanes | |
Ἔρωτες | Amores | Erotes: A conversation about love (perhaps fake; translation by Hans Licht , 1920) | An eulogy for heterosexual male love and one for homosexual male love are given. The second is awarded the prize. |
Λούκιος ἢ Ὄνος | Asinus | Lucius or The Magic Donkey | It tells the adventures of a Lucius transformed into a donkey. |
The air journey → Ikaromenippus | |||
Φιλοψευδὴς ἢ Ἀπιστῶν | Philopseudes sive Incredulus | The lying friend or the unbeliever | A motif from it (Chapters 35 and 36) is used in Goethe's Sorcerer's Apprentice . |
The Prophet of Lies → Alexander | |||
Περὶ τοῦ Ἐνυπνίου ἤτοι Βίος Λουκιανοῦ | Somnium sive Vita Luciani | Lukian's dream | The young Lukian ponders in a dream whether he should cope with his future life with his hands or his mind. |
Ἐνάλιοι Διάλογοι | Dialogi Marini | Sea gods talks | Sea deities, river gods and winds talk about episodes of Greek mythology. |
Μένιππος ἢ Νεκυομαντεία | Necyomantia | The Menippus' journey into hell or the oracle of the dead | Menippus descends into the underworld in order to have Teiresias call him the right way of life. |
Νέρων | Nero | Nero or The Project to Pierce the Isthmus of Corinth | |
Νιγρίνου Φιλοσοφία | Nigrinus | Nigrinus | Dialogue about Lucian's visit to the Platonic philosopher Nigrinos |
Περὶ Θυσιῶν | De Sacrificiis | From the victims | Lukian scoffs at religious customs. |
Εἰκόνες | Adults | Panthea or The Pictures | In a dialogue, the physical and mental benefits of the Smyrnae Panthea are praised. |
Περὶ τοῦ Παρασίτου ὅτι Τέχνη ἡ Παρασιτική | De Parasito | The parasite, or proof that parasite is an art | A parasite proves that parasites are superior to speakers and philosophers. |
Περὶ τῆς Περεγρίνου Τελευτῆς | De Morte Peregrini | The death of Peregrinus | The cynic Peregrinus staged in Olympia of fame because of his self-immolation. |
Φάλαρις Αʹ | Phalaris I | The first Phalaris, or speech of the Phalaris' envoy to the priests and the people of Delphi | First part of the satirical defense of the tyrant Phalaris of Akragas |
Φάλαρις Βʹ | Phalaris II | The second phalaris, or speech of a dolphin in support of the presentation of the messengers of the phalaris | Second part of the phalaris |
Φιλόπατρις ἢ Διδασκόμενος | Philopatris | Philopatris | |
Προμηθεύς | Prometheus | Prometheus | Prometheus proves to Hermes and Hephaestus that he is innocent. |
Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα Προμηθεὺς εἶ ἐν λόγοις | Prometheus it in Verbis | Prometheus. To someone who called him a Prometheus in writing. | |
Ῥητόρων Διδάσκαλος | Rhetorum praeceptor | The speaking school or instruction on how to become a famous speaker with little effort | |
Περὶ τοῦ Οἴκου | De Domo | Eulogy for a beautiful hall | Description of a beautiful hall and its wall paintings |
Τὰ πρὸς Κρόνον | Saturnalia | Saturnal negotiations | Three texts with reference to the Saturnalia: 1. The Saturnalia (dialogue), 2. Cronosolon, 3. Saturnalic letters |
Πλοῖον ἢ Εὐχαί | Navigium | The ship or the wishes | The folly of human desires is mocked. |
Ἀπολογία | Apologia | Protective pamphlet for the hired scholars | Lukian defends his position with the Roman governor of Egypt against the background of his work "The sad lot of the scholars who rent themselves to noble and rich families (the hired scholars)". |
The swans on the Po → Amber | |||
Δραπέται | Fugitivi | The runaway slaves | Philosophy complains to Zeus about self-proclaimed "philosophers". |
Σκύθης ἢ Πρόξενος | Scytha | The Skythe or Anacharsis and Toxaris | The Skythe Toxaris introduces his compatriot Anacharsis to Solon in Athens . |
Sects → Hermotimus | |||
Epistles | |||
Quarrel → Hesiod | |||
Περὶ τῆς Συρίης Θεοῦ | De Syria Dea | From the Syrian goddess | |
Περὶ Ὀρχήσεως | De Saltatione | From the art of dance | A certain Lykinos convinced a man named Kraton of the importance of the art of dance (pantomime). |
Τίμων ἢ Μισάνθρωπος | Timon | Timon | The misanthropist Timon of Athens shows that the friends of a rich man only love his wealth. |
Νεκρικοὶ Διάλογοι | Dialogi Mortuorum | Talks with the dead | In the underworld, gods and people talk, etc. a. about the tendency of the living to be alive. |
The oracle of the dead → Menippus | |||
Τόξαρις ἢ Φιλία | Toxaris sive Amicitia | Toxaris or The Friends | The Greek Mnesippos and the Skythe Toxaris compete and tell each other five examples of outstanding friendships. They declare their competition a draw and become friends themselves. |
Ποδάγρα | Podagra | Tragopodagra (The Tragic Podagra) | |
Περὶ Πένθους | De Luctu | About the mourning for the dead | Lukian makes fun of the conceptions of the dead and burial rites. |
Dream → Hahn or Lukian | |||
The tyrant → crossing | |||
Τυραννοκτόνος | Tyrannicida | The tyrant murderer | |
Κατάπλους ἢ Τύραννος | Cataplus | The crossing or the tyrant | A group of dead, including the tyrant Megapenthes , is crossed from Charon. |
Ignorant → book fanatic | |||
The unbeliever → lying friend | |||
Πατρίδος Ἐγκώμιον | Patriae Encomium | Praise the hometown | |
Βίων Πρᾶσις | Vitarum auctio | The sale of the philosophical sects | Representatives of individual philosophical schools are offered for sale at a slave market. |
Περὶ τοῦ μὴ ῥᾳδίως πιστεύειν Διαβολῇ | Calumniae non temere credendum | Against the slander or that it is not so easy to believe those who say evil to others | |
Ἀποκηρυττόμενος | Abdicatus | The outcast son | Speech exercise |
Ὑπὲρ τῶν Εἰκόνων | Pro Imaginibus | Defense of the images | The author, who compared Panthea (see above) with images of goddesses, defends himself against the charge of blasphemy. |
Μακρόβιοι | Macrobii | Directory of people who have lived to a very old age (The Aging) | |
Δίκη Συμφώνων | Iudicium Vocalium | The court of vowels | The consonant sigma sued the consonant tau for stealing words. The vowels are negotiated before the court . |
Ἀληθῶν Διηγημάτων Αʹ | Verae historiae I | The true story first book | Parody of the Odyssey and the fantastic (travel) stories of ancient historiography . (The Apista of Antonios Diogenes are used as a model .) |
Ἀληθῶν Διηγημάτων Βʹ | Verae historiae II | The second book of true history | so |
The world viewer → Charon | |||
Ζεύξις ἢ Ἀντίοχος | Zeuxis | Zeuxis or Antiochus | Describes a picture of the Zeuxis (a centauress with her young) and a victory of Antiochus with the help of elephants in the war. The novelty is emphasized in both. |
literature
- Manfred Landfester: Lukianos from Samosata. In: Manfred Landfester (ed.): History of ancient texts. Lexicon of authors and works (= Der Neue Pauly . Supplements. Volume 2). Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2007, ISBN 978-3-476-02030-7 , pp. 378-382.
Web links
Wikisource: Lukian von Samosata / list of works - sources and full texts
- Lucian from Samosata Project - Articles, Timeline, Maps, Library, and Themes