Scholia vetera in Sophoclis ›Oedipum Tyrannum‹

Book excerpt: This authoritative new edition of the ancient scholia to Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus is the first to rely on a complete scrutiny of the sources of the text and the conjectural activity of scholars, but is also characterised by a fresh methodological approach: the transmission of scholia is prone to creating different versions of basically the same material, and to conflating originally distinct entities; these peculiarities are fully taken into consideration in analysing the manuscript tradition and composing the critical text. The scholia are thus restored in a textual state that is arguably the earliest we can recover, and is free of contradictions, unacceptable repetitions, and hybridisation or blending of elements from different versions. The critical text is accompanied by a detailed apparatus criticus, and is placed in the context of ancient scholarship by means of a rich collection of parallel passages. Extensive indices are provided at the end of the book. The edition will be an invaluable resource for those engaged in the interpretation and reception of Sophocles’ tragedies and, in particular, of the Oedipus Tyrannus, and will be of interest to classicists working on ancient literary criticism and ancient scholarship.