Zenodotus of EphesusPollyana Bell

Overview

• Born in Ephesus, c.325 B.C.• First Head Librarian of the Library at

Alexandria• Responsible for organizing and cataloguing

the library’s contents• Pioneer in Alexandrian scholarship• Focused on the works of Homer

As Head Librarian• First Head Librarian of the Library at Alexandria, appointed by

Ptolemy II Philadelphus (the position was originally offered to Demetrius of Phaleron but he denied the offer)

• Held the position from c. 285 – 270 B.C.• Responsible for collecting and organizing texts; also

catalogued the library’s inventory• Organized texts by category and within those categories works

were alphabetized which allowed the library’s contents to be more accessible

• Callimachus would refine this system of organization

As an Alexandrian Scholar• Laid foundation for Alexandrian scholarship and helped

establish the tradition for studying ancient texts, focusing on Greek authors

• Focus was primarily on studying and preserving works of the past, not solely on creating new works; Zenodotus was also a poet (no extant works)

• Developed methods for scholarship and textual criticism• Made critical editions of Homer, Hesiod, and Pindar• Invented critical signs to mark certain lines of text, namely the

obelos• Future scholars at Alexandria would continue and build upon

his work such as Aristophanes of Byzantium

As a Homeric Scholar• Edited Homer’s works and composed critical editions of them,

most notably the Iliad, by collecting and comparing different manuscripts

• Attempting to create a standardized version of the text• Responsible for the division of the Iliad and Odyssey into 24

books• Composed a Homeric glossary of unusual words found within

the text• Wrote a treatise on the number of days in the Iliad and about

the life of Homer

Criticism of Zenodotus• Has been the subject of much criticism in modern scholarship

and even among his own contemporaries(Apollonius of Rhodes wrote a book entitled Against Zenodotus)

• His treatment of the text has been heavily criticized as he seems to delete lines of text he finds unnecessary or merges lines in order to be concise

• Strong debate regarding whether his editorial choices are based on arbitrary personal judgment, comparative methodology, or critical analysis?

• Problem: there is no commentary left from Zenodotus to justify his reasoning behind altering the text

Sources• Fraser, P.M. Ptolemaic Alexandria Volume I. Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 1972.• Green, Peter. Alexander to Actium The Historical Evolution of the

Hellenistic Age. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.

• Pfeiffer, Rudolph. History of Classical Scholarship. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968.

• Phillips, Heather. 2010. “The Great Library of Alexandria?” Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-22.

• Vrettos, Theodore. Alexandria City of the Western Mind. New York: Free Press, 2001.

• "Zenodotus." The Oxford Classical Dictionary. : Oxford University Press, 2012. Oxford Reference. 2012. Date Accessed 21 Sep. 2015 <http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001/acref-9780199545568-e-6941>.