Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

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Type 31521

	Οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτως οὐδαμῶς, Θουκυδίδη.
	Ταῦρος δέ τις βοῦς ἐκφυγὼν Ἡρακλέα
	ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης εἰς ἐκεῖ γῆς ἐξέδυ·
	ζητῶν δὲ τοῦτον Ἡρακλῆς πάντῃ τρέχων
	ἀνδρὶ τυχὼν ἔφασκε βαρβάρῳ γένει
	εἰ ταῦρον εἶδε τοῖς ἐκεῖ γῆς ἐν τόποις·
	ὃς ταῦρον οὔκουν ἀλλ’ ἰταλὸν ἰδεῖν ἔφη,
	τὸν ταῦρον αὐτὸν βαρβάρῳ γλώσσῃ λέγων.
	Κλῆσις τὸ λοιπὸν γίνεται χώρας τόδε.
	Τζέτζην παλαιὸς πᾶς πτοοῦ χρονογράφος·
	λαθεῖν γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐδὲ δαίμων ἰσχύει.

Text source	M. Luzzatto, 1999, Tzetzes lettore di Tucidide: note autografe sul Codice Heidelberg Palatino Greco 252, Bari: 75-76
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Not a critical text
Genre(s)	Author-related epigram Scribe-related epigram Text-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	Herakles John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/ Thucydides (5th c. BC)
Tag(s)	Address to the author Correction Criticism of the author Polemic Reference to content of the book Scholium Self-presentation
Translation(s)	No, it wasn’t thus, Thucydides, not at all. A certain bull fled from Herakles and came out from the sea upon those lands. Herakles ran everywhere looking for it and chanced upon a man of barbarian race. He asked him if he had seen a bull in the lands of those parts, and he replied that he had seen, not a bull, but an italos, using his word for bull in his barbarian language. And so this became the name of this land henceforth. You, then, ancient historian, whoever you are, fear Tzetzes, not even a supernatural spirit can get away from him! Language English Source(s) A. Kaldellis, 2015, Byzantine Readings of Ancient Historians, Abingdon and New York: 76 It is not possible in this way at all, Thucydides. A bull, after escaping from Hercules, emerged from the sea to the land. Searching for him, Hercules wandered everywhere, and after he met a man of barbaric origin, he asked him whether he saw a bull somewhere nearby. He answered that he had not seen any bulls, but an italos – because he used the barbaric name for bull. From then onwards this had become the name of the area. You chronicler, whoever you are, be afraid of Tzetzes, because not even a supernatural creature is able to avoid his noticing. Language English Source(s) T. Mészáros 2013, Byzantine Metrical Scholia on Thucydides, in P. Fodor, G. Mayer, M. Monostori, K. Szovák, L. Takács (eds.), More modoque: die Wurzeln der europäischen Kultur und deren Rezeption im Orient und Okzident; Festschrift für Miklós Maróth zum siebzigsten Geburtstag, Budapest, 67-76: 74 No, la cose non stanno in nessun modo così, o Tucidide! Un toro invece, fuggendo da Eracle, attraversato il mare, si addentrò in quella terra là. Eracle, cercandolo, correndo dappertutto, incontrato un uomo di stirpe barbara, lo apostrofò (chiedendogli) se per caso avesse visto un tauros nelle terre di quella regione: e costui rispose che un tauros no, non l aveva visto, ma aveva visto però, un italos, chiamando così il toro nella sua lingua barbara: questo da allora in poi diventa il nome della regione. Tu, antico storico, chiunque tu sia, abbi timore di Tzetzes: infatti con lui neanche un essere soprannaturale è capace di farla franca. Language Italian Source(s) M. Luzzatto, 1999, Tzetzes lettore di Tucidide: note autografe sul Codice Heidelberg Palatino Greco 252, Bari: 76
Comment	Mészáros (2013: 74, n. 25): "The source of Tzetzes was probably Apollod. II 5, 10." Text of Luzzatto (1999: 75-76) modified by DBBE.
Bibliography	Primary C. Hude, 1973, Scholia in Thucydidem ad optimos codices collata, New York: 328-329 T. Mészáros 2013, Byzantine Metrical Scholia on Thucydides, in P. Fodor, G. Mayer, M. Monostori, K. Szovák, L. Takács (eds.), More modoque: die Wurzeln der europäischen Kultur und deren Rezeption im Orient und Okzident; Festschrift für Miklós Maróth zum siebzigsten Geburtstag, Budapest, 67-76: 74 Secondary A. Kaldellis, 2015, Byzantine Readings of Ancient Historians, Abingdon and New York: 76
Number of verses	11
Occurrence(s)	[31530] οὐκ (ἔστιν)· οὕτ(ως) οὐδαμ(ῶς) θουκυδ(ί)δη [1146-1155] HEIDELBERG - Universitätsbibliothek - Palat. gr. 252 [851-950] (f. 214r) (11 verses)
Acknowledgements	Creator(s) Anne-Sophie Rouckhout Contributor(s) Anne-Sophie Rouckhout The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Vassis ICB 2005, 568: "Ioann. Tzetzes, Scholium in Thucydidem (6.2.4)"
Permalink	http://dev.dbbe.ugent.be/types/31521

Last modified: 2026-01-19.

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