List of anthologies of Greek epigrams explained

Modern knowledge of ancient Greek epigrams is largely based on works surviving in multi-author anthologies. The earliest known dateable anthology of epigrams is the Attic Epigrams collected by Philochorus in the late fourth century BC. This, and the second-century collection of Theban epigrams collected by Aristodemus of Thebes, were collected on a geographical basis, and were perhaps largely or entirely made up of epigrams found in local inscriptions;^[1] later collections were instead arranged by author or subject.^[2]

Known anthologies include:

• Attic Epigrams by Philochorus, late fourth century BC^[3]
• Soros, 3rd century BC, collection in which there were epigrams of Posidippus of Pella^[4]
• On the inscriptions to be found in cities, of Polemon of Athens, 2nd century BC^[3]
• Theban Epigrams (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Θηβαϊκὰ ἐπιγράμματα) of Aristodemus of Thebes: second century BC; contained multiple books and included commentary^[3]
• Peri epigrammaton (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Περὶ ἐπιγραμμάτων, "About epigrams") of Neoptolemus of Paros^[5]
• Garland of Meleagros (Στέφανος τοῦ Μελεάγρου), of Meleager of Gadara, about 90 - 80 BC. Meleager's introductory poem names 47 poets; works by other authors are known to have been included. About 4,000 lines from this collection are included in the Palatine Anthology.^[6]
• Garland of Philippus (Στέφανος τοῦ Φιλίππου τοῦ Θεσσαλονικέως), by Philippus of Thessalonica, mid-1st century AD.^[7]
• Diogenianus, Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἐπιγραμμάτωνἈνθολόγιον mentioned by the Suda. Diogenianus worked during the reign of Hadrian, and the collection perhaps contained epigrams from the first and second centuries AD.^[8]
• Musa Puerilis (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Μοῦσα Παιδική), anthology of Straton of Sardis, 2nd century, with pederastic content^[9]
• The Sylloge of Palladas, 6th century collection of epigrams and epic fragments^[10]
• Cycle of Agathias, second half of sixth century AD. Seven books of epigrams by Agathias and his contemporaries.^[11]
• Sylloge Parisina

13th century manuscript of 114 epigrams, derived from Cephalas' anthology.^[12] The source of this manuscript may be an early abridgement of Cephalas' anthology, predating the Palatine Anthology.^[13]

• Sylloge Euphemiana (about 890)^[14]
• Syllogae minores, a series of smaller collections from various sources, among which are Sylloge Parisina and Sylloge Euphemiana already mentioned above
• Anthology of Cephalas  - compiled by Constantine Cephalas in the last decades of the ninth century; most important sources include the Garlands of Meleager and Philip, the Anthology of Diogenian, the Sylloge of Pallada and the Cycle of Agathias^[15]
• Palatine Anthology (Anthologia Palatina)  - Byzantine anthology completed after 944, mostly a copy of Cephalas' anthology alongside other collections of epigrams and some longer poems.^[16]
• Anthology of Planudes (Anthologia Graeca Planudea) Maximus Planudes, completed between 1299 and 1301, based on two manuscript copies of the anthology of Cephalas.^[17]
• Greek Anthology (Anthologia Graeca): Term currently used for the collection of epigrams and poems of the Palatine and the Planudean Anthologies,^[18] as well as from other sources^[19]

Notes and References

1. Book: Maltomini, Francesca. Greek Anthologies from the Hellenistic Age to the Byzantine Era: A Survey. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. 2019. 211 - 212.
2. Book: Maltomini, Francesca. Greek Anthologies from the Hellenistic Age to the Byzantine Era: A Survey. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. 2019. 224.
3. Book: Maltomini, Francesca. Greek Anthologies from the Hellenistic Age to the Byzantine Era: A Survey. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. 2019. 212.
4. Book: Gutzwiller, Kathryn J. . The New Posidippus: A Hellenistic Poetry Book. Oxford University Press. 2005. 0199267812. 7.
5. Book: Harper, Charles Anthon. A manual of Greek literature:from the earliest authentic periods to the close of the Byzantine era. 81. 1853.
6. Book: Maltomini, Francesca. Greek Anthologies from the Hellenistic Age to the Byzantine Era: A Survey. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. 2019. 216.
7. Book: Maltomini, Francesca. Greek Anthologies from the Hellenistic Age to the Byzantine Era: A Survey. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. 2019. 217.
8. Book: Maltomini, Francesca. Greek Anthologies from the Hellenistic Age to the Byzantine Era: A Survey. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. 2019. 218.
9. Book: Hine, Daryl. Puerilities: Erotic Epigrams of the Greek Anthology. 2001. Princeton University Press. ix.
10. Book: Lauxtermann, Marc D.. Byzantine Poetry from Pisides to Geometres: Texts and Contexts. 2003. 100.
11. Book: Maltomini, Francesca. Greek Anthologies from the Hellenistic Age to the Byzantine Era: A Survey. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. 2019. 219.
12. Book: The Greek anthology : from Meleager to Planudes . Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press . 1993 . 217.
13. Book: The Greek anthology : from Meleager to Planudes . Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press . 1993 . 253.
14. Book: Byzantine Poetry from Pisides to Geometres . VÖAW . Chapter Three: Anthologies and Anthologists . 2003 . September 10, 2011 . Lauxtermann, Marc D. . 83 . 3-7001-3150-X.
15. Book: Lauxtermann, Marc D.. Byzantine Poetry from Pisides to Geometres: Texts and Contexts. 2003. 86 - 88.
16. Book: Lauxtermann, Marc D.. Byzantine Poetry from Pisides to Geometres: Texts and Contexts. 2003. 83 - 84.
17. Book: Maltomini, Francesca. Greek Anthologies from the Hellenistic Age to the Byzantine Era: A Survey. A Companion to Ancient Epigram. 2019. 222.
18. Book: The Classical Tradition . Harvard University Press . 2010 . September 2, 2011 . Anthony Grafton . Glenn W. Most . Salvatore Settis . 410. 9780674035720 .
19. http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/mu3ugb1986481 The Greek anthology : from Meleager to Planudes