Theognis of Megara

Theognis of Megara ( Greek Θέογνις ὁ Μεγαρεύς , after dating the Suda 2nd half of the 6th century BC) is a Greek writer , under whose name a collection of poems in elegiac meter has come down to us. The "Corpus Theognideum" comprises 1431 verses in the oldest manuscript, which are divided into two books. The majority of science assumes that the corpus actually contains works by various poets.

Life

The ancient chronography dated the heyday of Theognis in the middle of the 6th century. Dating based on the poems is problematic because of the unclear authenticity: v. 757–768 probably refer to the Xerxes procession 480/479 BC. Chr .; v. 894, on the other hand, speaks of the Cypselid dynasty in Corinth and must therefore be between approx. 627 and 585 BC. BC.

Theognis describes himself as a citizen of Megara (v. 19-26), although it was already disputed in ancient times whether the city on the isthmus of Corinth was meant or the colony Megara Hyblaia in Sicily . While Plato held the latter opinion, the majority of today's research assumes that the Theognis came from mainland Greece.

In terms of content, the verses , which are sometimes formulated like sayings , address the issue

Toasts for symposia
noble rules of life for a young friend named Kyrnos
The poet's complaints about the social changes - the emergence of a monetary aristocracy, tyranny - in the polis world of the 6th / 5th centuries. Century BC From a conservative noble point of view
general considerations about friendship, happiness and the nature of people.

In the second book, which has only survived in a manuscript, mainly verses with pederastic content are compiled.

It becomes clear that aristocratic (political) communities ( hetaires ) formed the background to life, origin and reception of the poems .

Because of their sentence-like nature , the sayings were probably copied early, passed on, used for teaching and thus changed again and again.

reception

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote his valediction work on leaving Schulpforta on September 7, 1864 about Theognis: De Theognide Megarensi .

expenditure

Jean Carrière: Théognis. Poèmes élégiaques . Paris 1948.
Antonio Garzya : Teognide, Elegie, Libri I – II, testo critico, introduzione e note, cun una scelta di testimonianze antiche e un lessico . Florence 1958.
Douglas CC Young: Theognis, Pseudo-Pythagoras, Pseudo-Phocylides, Chares, Anonymi Aulodia, Fragmentum teliambicum . 1961, 2nd edition Leipzig 1971, reprint Stuttgart 1998
Bernhard A. van Groningen: Le premier livre, édité avec un commentaire . Amsterdam 1966.
Martin L. West : Iambi et elegi Graeci ante Alexandrum cantati . Vol. I, Oxford 1971.
Dirk U. Hansen: Theognis. Early Greek elegies . Darmstadt 2005.

literature

Overview representations

Andreas Bagordo : Theognis . In: Bernhard Zimmermann (Hrsg.): Handbook of the Greek literature of antiquity , Volume 1: The literature of the archaic and classical times . CH Beck, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-406-57673-7 , pp. 176-179

Introductions

Hermann Fränkel : Poetry and philosophy of the early Greek culture. 5th edition, CH Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-37716-5 , pp. 455-483
Albin Lesky : History of Greek Literature. 3rd, revised edition, Saur, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-598-11423-0 , pp. 200–204

Investigations

Martin L. West : Studies in Greek Elegy and Iambus . Berlin / New York 1974.
Thomas J. Figueira: Theognis of Megara, poetry and the polis . Baltimore / London 1985.
Ewen L. Bowie : The Theognidea: A Step Towards a Collection of Fragments? In: Glenn W. Most (Ed.): Collecting fragments - collecting fragments (= Aporemata. Volume 1). Göttingen 1997, pp. 53-66.
Hendrik Selle: Theognis and the Theognidea (= investigations into ancient literature and history. Volume 95). Berlin / New York 2008.

Web links

Commons : Theognis of Megara - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Literature by and about Theognis von Megara in the catalog of the German National Library
Works by and about Theognis von Megara in the German Digital Library

Remarks

↑ Suda , keyword Theognis ( Θέογνις ), Adler number: theta 136 , Suda-Online
↑ Hendrik Selle: Theognis and the Theognidea (= investigations into ancient literature and history. Volume 95). Berlin / New York 2008, pp. 235-239
↑ Plato, Laws 629a-630c.
^ Friedrich Nietzsche: De Theognide Megarensi . In: Critical Complete Edition (KGW), ed. by Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari . Vol. I 3, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2006, pp. 420–462.

personal data
SURNAME	Theognis of Megara
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Greek writer
DATE OF BIRTH	between 550 BC BC and 500 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	6th century BC BC or 5th century BC Chr.

[1] Suda , keyword Theognis ( Θέογνις ), Adler number: theta 136 , Suda-Online

[2] Hendrik Selle: Theognis and the Theognidea (= investigations into ancient literature and history. Volume 95). Berlin / New York 2008, pp. 235-239

[3] Plato, Laws 629a-630c.

[4] Friedrich Nietzsche: De Theognide Megarensi . In: Critical Complete Edition (KGW), ed. by Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari . Vol. I 3, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2006, pp. 420–462.