Recensione in italiano: QUI

Good day everyone I’m Elena, thank you to be here on Alessandro III di Macedonia- Alexander the Great and Hellenism. Let’s start the year with a review of a book from the Hellenistic period!

Nicander of Colophon

THERIAKA-ALEXIPHARMAKA

by Valeria Gigante Lanzara (Editor)

Leo S. Olschki Editore, 2022

ISBN: 978-8822268242, xviii-210 pages

I due poemetti di Nicandro di Colofone illustrano un aspetto particolare del mondo agreste. Nei Theriaka il poeta delinea la natura e le abitudini dei serpenti velenosi e le proprietà delle erbe medicinali, utili a contrastare gli effetti del loro morso, quindi passa in rassegna le varie specie dei rettili e le loro caratteristiche. Il contrasto tra l’orrore dei mostri e la fantasia di erbe e fiori che ne eliminano la pericolosità è un tratto di grande originalità. Immerso nella natura Nicandro ne penetra i misteri, è insieme erborista, medico, ma a tratti anche poeta. L’enumerazione dei rettili, una quindicina, non segue uno schema prestabilito, ma si avvale di una informazione realistica e minuziosa del loro aspetto e delle loro abitudini. Ad essi segue un prontuario di erbe medicamentose, vere e proprie ricette ottenute combinando tra loro elementi vegetali e animali. Gli Alexipharmaka contengono l’esposizione di alcune sostanze nocive e degli antidoti utili per difendersi da malanni talvolta letali che esse procurano. Le bevande tossiche dalle quali l’uomo deve guardarsi, sono ventidue e a ciascuna seguono i sintomi dell’avvelenamento e l’antidoto adatto. Non mancano tra i rettili e le erbe raffinati accenni al mito.

Nicander’s two poems are true treatises on natural history, but also very original proofs of poetry. In the Theriaka the reader’s attention is directed to poisonous snakes and the remedies that can prevent men from death. In the Alexipharmaka the poet illustrates the danger of certain drinks obtained from herbs and the antidotes useful for healing. The description of reptiles is meticulous and that of herbs rich in color.

Nicandro di Colofone poeta greco di età ellenistica la cui identità precisa non è stata accertata. Nonostante questo è attestato autore dei due poemi didascalici in esametri Rimedi contro i veleni animali e Antidoti.

Index:

Introduzione……………….. V

NICANDRO DI COLOFONE, Theriaka……………….. 1
Commento……………….. 97

Alexipharmaka……………….. 121
Commento……………….. 187

Rettili, insetti e piccoli animali……………….. 199

Piante……………….. 201

Bibliografia essenziale……………….. 205

Reading time: from December 16 to December 24 2022.

Thanks to the press office of Leo S. Olschki Editore for the free review copy!

Little is known about Nicander of Colophon because ancient sources confuse two Nicanders. The one that interests us was born in Claro, near Colofone, son of Dameus and his activity was under the reign of Attalus III Philometor Euergetes last king of Pergamon, therefore from 138 to 133 BC. According to Theocritus he would instead be a contemporary of Theocritus, Callimachus and Aratus. What we know about this Nicander is that he was a poet, priest, doctor and also an expert in cooking and two complete works have come down to us: the Theriaka (Θηριακά) in 958 verses and the Alexipharmaka (Ἀλεξιφάρμακα) in 630 verses.

In this new book published by Leo S. Olschki Editore edited by Valeria Gigante Lanzara, a great scholar of Hellenistic theater and poetry and translator of many works of the period, there is an Introduction in which the author gives the little biographical information that let’s get to know the author (V-VI), then she explains the two works examined here (VI-IX), analyzes the particular relationship that the author had with the myth (X-XIV) and examines the style (XIV-XVII) . From page 1 to 95 we find the text of Theriaka with Italian translation and original text facing; from pages 97 to 119 the commentary of the Theriaka; Alexipharmaka range from page 121 to 185, while their commentary ranges from 187 to 198. Follow the indexes of reptiles, insects and small animals (p. 199), of plants (pp. 201-204), the essential bibliography (pp . 205-206) and the book index (p. 207).

In Theriaka Nicander talks about poisonous snakes describing their species and characteristics and makes a realistic and detailed analysis of medicinal herbs to counteract their poisons. The text is dedicated to the relative Hermesianax and on the right side of the translation the animal treated in the verse is shown in order to create a further index to facilitate consultation without breaking or dividing the work. It’s interesting to note how Nicander is very careful and precise in speaking of each type of snake because he describes its physical characteristics, the mark left by the bite, the symptoms of poisoning and the treatment with instructions for making medicine. In addition, he doesn’t leave out the most disgusting details, in fact the description of the reproduction of the viper, albeit real, is quite disgusting. On the other hand, it’s curious how the author gives mythological explanations to oblique or leapfrogging as in the case of haemorrhage. With Gigante Lanzara’s comment we note how often the author resorted to the use of neologisms and hapax, which denotes the stylistic and linguistic research of the author. The curator also highlights when Nicander gets confused by making mistakes, as in the case of the wasp spider who comes to talk about wasps (vv. 738-746), notes the different translations proposed by other scholars and indicates where they can be found in the other ancient authors the similar forms of the words used by Nicander.

Alexipharmaka deal with the harmful substances of poisons and the antidotes to them. Also in this work we often find in the verses pieces that are linked to mythology and it is known how they often used herbs or compounds to accompany wine to heal themselves. I found verse 513 curious because the author speaks “del ghiaccio appena congelato dal freddo boreale”. The editor’s comment highlights elements that had gone unnoticed when reading the text, such as the description of litharge or lead monoxide because Gigante Lanzara comments “quando entra nello stomaco, provoca dolore e l’aria circola ruotando nella zona ombelicale”.

The initial introduction highlights how Nicander often used the myth to trace the story back to unknown sources and the editor reports some cases to highlight how the author prefers the rarest forms of myth variations, in the continuous search for rarity in perfect Alexandrian style.

“Nel linguaggio il numero dei neologismi supera quello dei termini in uso, rari questi ultimi o presenti in forma morfologicamente inconsueta. Talvolta più che di neologismi si tratta di termini ricorrenti in accezione inusuale.” (p. XIV).

In the Alexipharmaka the myth is an element of comparison. Nicander has a raw, realistic style in epic hexameter, his style is original with a linear syntax and creator of an innovative poetics. He has a scholarly and ironic approach derived from his mocking character towards the poets of early Alexandrinism when he re-employs a term with a lower level. His style has two levels of perception: the first is immediate because is descriptive and informative and with the second it wants to amaze the reader.

I don’t know about poetic and philological analysis and if I wanted to go further in commenting I would have to rewrite what has already been written by others more experienced than me. Despite the particular type of reading that falls within the Hellenistic culture, it was interesting because the author meticulously describes the instructions of how to make the antidotes and the symptoms and I considered it a sort of further study of the previous readings by Prof. Squillace of Il profumo nel mondo antico. Con la traduzione italiana del «Sugli odori» di Teofrasto and Gli inganni di Cleopatra. Fonti per lo studio dei profumi antichi in fact it is thanks to the interest aroused in me by those two works that I read this one with pleasure too! It’s thanks to works like these that I gradually increase my knowledge of Hellenistic culture and they are very interesting readings even though they are of a very particular field.

You can find the book for sale in Leo S. Olschki Editore’s online shop at THIS LINK or in the best physical and online bookstores.

Good day everyone,

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