A.1. Aristotle On Poets: a critical evaluation of Richard Janko's edition of the fragments

This paper provides a critical examination of Richard Janko’s edition of the fragments of Aristotle On Poets (Janko 2011). Section 1 discusses passages preserved in late ancient texts which Janko assigns to On Poets. Section 2 identifies problems in the evidence preserved in the Philodemus papyri. Section 3 assesses indi­rect evidence for Aristotle’s theory of katharsis, and considers two contested points in Aristotle’s dis­cussion of katharsis in Politics 8: the meaning of mousikē, and the nature of his response to the challenge posed by Plato in Republic 10.

A.2. Stolen fire: Aeschylean imagery and Thoreau’s identification of the Graius homo of Lucretius with Prometheus

In his Journal for April 26, 1856, Thoreau noted that he had quickly looked over the first 200 lines of the De Rerum Natura but was “…struck only with the lines referring to Promethius (sic)—whose vivida vis animi…extra/processit longe flammantia moenia mundi.” (1.72–73) During this time (i.e., late April and into May) Thoreau was reading the Roman agricultural writers Columella and Palladius, and it is unclear what led him to pick up the De Rerum Natura and then discard it so quickly. Perhaps most curious is Thoreau’s comment that lines 72–73 refer to Prometheus. No commentator in the context of Thoreau has noted that Lucretius is not actually referring to Prometheus in these lines but to Epicurus. The goal of this paper is to show how these lines in their wording and imagery may have reminded Thoreau of Aeschylus’ description of Prometheus in Prometheus Bound and led him to conclude that lines 1.72–73 of the De Rerum Natura refer to Prometheus.

A.4. On the identity of the 'Q. Fabius' of Val. Max. 2.7.3

Münzer, Broughton, and others have provided a variety of identity options for the Q. Fabius who is mentioned at Val. Max. 2.7.3. Some attribute a quaestorship to this Fabius whereas others have been more skeptical. This paper seeks to explore the issue more fully so as to better illustrate the process by which magisterial attributions are made as well as to offer an alternative account to that which is commonly accepted in the post‐Broughton era.

A.3. Leosthenes and the transportation of Greek mercenaries from Asia Minor

Leosthenes is remembered for his heroic death at Lamia, but an earlier part of his career also deserves closer scrutiny. This paper analyzes Leosthenes’ alleged role in transporting a number of mercenaries from Asia to Greece in the prelude to the Lamian war. A re‐assessment of Leosthenes’ actions suggests that his role in this event is grossly exaggerated and should be ascribed to the panegyrical elements that entered the historical tradition after his death. In addition, the thesis of O. Schmitt that Leosthenes transported the mercenaries from Asia on the orders of Alexander the Great has little to recommend it.

A.2. The book-bound scholar

This paper takes as its starting point Geoffrey Lloyd's comment that the sources for Pliny's Natural History are 'overwhelmingly literary'. While the encyclopaedic nature of his project might seem to make this inevitable, it is suggested that there are deeper‐seated reasons for Pliny's approach to be found in the attitudes of Rome's cultural élite in the late Republic and early Empire. For this élite, literary culture reflected the socio‐political dynamics of their society, while practical investigations of nature, on the other hand, may for the most part have been associated with the negation of these values. The contrast should not be over‐emphasised: texts on practical subjects could use and exploit empirical evidence and one or two individual enthusiasts may be tentatively posited. However, the breadth and depth of the literary tradition gave the text an authority denied to the particularities of personal experience.

A.3. The "dioceses" of Hispania citerior in the High Empire. A historiographic invention

This article presents the historiographic evolution of the "dioceses" of Hispania citerior in the High Roman Empire. From their creation by Mommsen to their total disappearance in the 1980s, they are mentioned very often in the bibliography of the Roman administration of that province. This is the first time that the development of this historiographic construction is presented.

A.1. Re-interpreting the Robinson Skyphos

The scene on the Robinson skyphos was wrongly identified for years as a depiction of clay‐working, either in a kiln or other preparation area. Recent scholarship has correctly identified it instead as one related to the grain harvest. This article presents a new examination of the scene, pointing out details the importance of which had not previously been noted. It also brings to bear comparanda from Egyptian art which put the identification of the scene beyond doubt.

A.2. Crowning Marsyas: the symbolism involved in the exile of Julia

In addition to the widely reported adultery committed by Julia prior to her banishment, Pliny records that Julia was seen to place a corona on the statue of Marsyas. While the accusations of adultery have been considered in regard to Augustus’ so‐called morality laws, or as the smokescreen for a conspiracy, the Marsyas incident has been neglected. However, the symbolism of the various traditions regarding Marsyas indicate that Julia was sending her father a powerful public message which was a factor in his decision to remove her from the city.

A.1. Self-characterisation in Rhesus 394-424

This short note pays close attention to the way in which the tragic Hector speaks about himself in his exchange with Rhesus (Rhesus 394–424). Hector’s appeal to his natural disposition as the agent that not only determines his particular way of relating to his fellows but also — albeit more implicitly — drives him to initiate the debate with the Thracian king, as suggested by his closing words, is a quite rare instance in tragic poetry.