Exegetical Scholia to the Iliad: Composition, Intertext and Tradition

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The exegetical scholia are a large, undifferentiated corpus; this research will provide a taxonomical structure and generalisable methodology with which to analyse the scholia and their relationships with other works. Recent scholarship shows the need for such a methodology, given the difficulty of ascribing authorial intent to any grouping of these scholia. This research aims to advance our understanding of how other texts influenced the exegetical scholia, and to provide a methodology for future research.This research will propose a method of "effect" upon a theoretical reader, disregarding authorial intent in favour of the information imparted by each scholion. Through this method, a 'hierarchy' of scholia can be observed: those that explain what the poet says (e.g. explanation of language or metaphor), why they do so (e.g. narrative considerations, poetic principles) and what the reader can gain beyond the poem (e.g. moral instruction, rhetorical techniques). This hierarchical model would be refined and used to investigate the influence of scholia on each other; the necessity of understanding the lower levels before the higher suggests that influence flows in at least one direction. The project will also propose a model of "quirks", non-essential elements of the scholia which can be used to suggest "genetic" links of thought to other ancient literary and paraliterary texts, including scientific and critical treatises. This may indicate both the sources of some scholiastic points and cases where the scholia themselves influenced late antique writers. This research will have a great and varied impact on the field, by contributing a firm methodology which can be used to further investigate the scholia and their relationship to ancient texts. It should be noted that, in addition to a new edition of the scholia vetera and h-scholia (a Byzantine family) in preparation by Montanari et al., and the ongoing publication of a modern edition of the Odyssey scholia by Pontani, a translation of the Iliadic scholia is in progress by Kelly, Beck and others. These works are likely to expand readership of the scholia greatly, necessitating a set of conceptual tools to analyse the exegetical scholia in their totality; this is what the research aims to provide. The research will proceed, in the first instance, through close reading of Erbse's edition of the Iliadic scholia; examination of the relevant manuscripts, similar papyri and any new editions will also be important. This close reading will focus on refining the notion of a scholiastic hierarchy, and through its refinement suggest a taxonomy of the exegetical scholia. In addition, 'non-essential' exegetical elements will provide the most fruitful material for intertextual analysis; for instance, one does not need to interpret the gods allegorically to make good sense of the Iliad, and it may indicate a common tradition with allegorical works such as Porphyry's Homeric Questions. A wide variety of texts can be consulted for their reception of the Iliad and relationship to the scholia, including educational texts, literary-critical texts and poetry which responds to Homer, particularly in the late antique period. Through these methods, the project will aim to establish both a methodology of generalised analysis relating to the exegetical scholia, and to map in greater detail the relationships tying scholia to one another and to non-scholia texts. This will greatly enhance our understanding of the exegetical scholia and the ancient tradition of reception concerning the Iliad, from the highest levels of scholarship to common educational materials.