Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

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Type 3245
(formerly typ/1381)

	Θουκυδίδης δ’ ἐλέλιζεν ἑὸν νόον· ἦν δὲ νοῆσαι
	οἷά περ ἱστορίης δημηγόρον ἦθος ὑφαίνων·
	δεξιτερὴν γὰρ ἀνέσχε μετάρσιον, ὡς πρὶν ἀείδων
	Σπάρτης πικρὸν Ἄρηα καὶ αὐτῶν Κεκροπιδάων
	Ἑλλάδος ἀμητῆρα πολυθρέπτοιο τιθήνης.

Text source	H. Beckby, 1965, Anthologia Graeca. I-VI (vol. 1), München: 208-209
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Critical text
Genre(s)	Author-related epigram Text-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet Christodoros of Koptos < Egypt
Metre(s)	Dactylic hexameter
Subject(s)	Athenai Sparta Thucydides (5th c. BC)
Tag(s)	Praise of the author Reference to content of the book
Translation(s)	'Thucydides was wielding his intellect, weaving, as it seemed, the rhetorical character of his history. His right hand was raised, as he once sang the bitter war of Sparta and the sons of Cecrops - a war that cut down the nurse who had raised Greece to its height'. Language English Source(s) W. Paton, M. A. Tueller, 2014, The Greek Anthology. Books 1-5 (vol. 1), Cambridge: 139 Thucydide avait l'esprit tendu et en éveil; on eût dit, à le voir, qu'il tissait l' «ithos» des discours qu'il a insérés dans son histoire. Il tenait la main droite levée, comme jadis lorsqu'il chantait l'âpre lutte de Sparte contre les illustres descendants de Cécrops, lutte qui moissonna la jeunesse florissante que nourrissait la Grèce. Language French Source(s) P. Waltz, 1928, Anthologie Grecque. Tome I: Anthologie palatine, Livres I-IV (vol. 1), Paris: 77 'Tief in Sinnen versenkt war Thukydides; deutlich erkennbar spann er Charakter und Haltung der Reden in seinem Geschichtswerk. Hob er die Rechte doch hoch wie damals, als er den harten, bitteren Krieg zwischen Sparta und Kekrops' Bürgern besungen, der die blühende Jugend der Mutter Hellas gemäht hat'. Language German Source(s) H. Beckby, 1965, Anthologia Graeca. I-VI (vol. 1), München: 209
Comment	This epigram is part of a larger poem written by Christodoros of Koptos, but Vassis (2005: 349) cites another author, who possibly excerpted this poem.
Bibliography	Primary B. Fonkič 1983, Ancora un manoscritto di Marco Mamuna, Rivista di Studi Bizantini e Neoellenici (RSBN), 20, 227-228: 227-228 C. Gallavotti 1985, Note su testi e scrittori di codici greci, Rivista di Studi Bizantini e Neoellenici (RSBN), 22, 191-207: 193 C. Hude, 1973, Scholia in Thucydidem ad optimos codices collata, New York: 434 W. Paton, M. A. Tueller, 2014, The Greek Anthology. Books 1-5 (vol. 1), Cambridge: 138 C. Stornajolo, 1895, Codices Urbinates Graeci, Rome: 134 P. Waltz, 1928, Anthologie Grecque. Tome I: Anthologie palatine, Livres I-IV (vol. 1), Paris: 77 display 3 more references (6 in total) hide 3 references (6 in total) Secondary K. Alpers, A. Kleinlogel (eds.), 2019, Scholia Graeca in Thucydidem. Scholia vetustiora et Lexicon Thucydideum Patmense, Berlin: 155
Number of verses	5
Occurrence(s)	[21006] θουκυδίδης δ’ ἐλέλιζεν ἑὸν νόον· ἦν δὲ νοῆσαι [1461] MILAN - Biblioteca Ambrosiana G 72 sup. [1461] (f. 2r) (5 verses) [21066] θουκυδίδης ἔλεξεν ἑὸν νόον· ἦν δὲ νοῆσαι [1426-1475] PARIS - Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) - gr. 1636 [1426-1475] (f. IIv) (5 verses) [33173] θουκυδίδης ἐλέλιζεν· ἐὸν νόον· ἦν δὲ νοῆσαι [11th c.] PARIS - Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) - suppl. gr. 255 [11th c.] (f. 292r) (5 verses) [19087] Θουκυδίδης ἔλεξεν ἑὸν νόον, ἦν δὲ νοῆσαι [15th c.] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Urb. gr. 89 [15th c.] (f. 393r) (5 verses) [25137] θουκυδίδης ἔλεξεν ἑὸν νόον· ἦν δὲ νοῆσαι [15th c.] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Urb. gr. 91 [15th c.] (f. 230r) (5 verses) [24505] θουκυδίδης ἐλέλιζεν ἑὸν ἠνδὲ νοῆσαι [11th c.] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Vat. gr. 126 [11th c.] (f. 188v) (5 verses) display 3 more occurrences (6 in total) hide 3 occurrences (6 in total)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Rachele Ricceri, Julián Bértola, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Anthologia Graeca, II.1 (vv.372-376) Vassis ICB 2005, 349: "Marcus Mamumas, In Thucydidem"
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Last modified: 2026-01-19.

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