The ''Aethiopis'' , also spelled ''Aithiopis'' (
Greek: , ''Aíthiopís''; la, Aethiopis), is a lost
epic of ancient
Greek literature. It was one of the
Epic Cycle, that is, the Trojan cycle, which told the entire history of the
Trojan War in epic verse. The story of the ''Aethiopis'' comes chronologically immediately after that of the
Homeric ''
Iliad'', and is followed by that of the ''
Little Iliad''. The ''Aethiopis'' was sometimes attributed by ancient writers to
Arctinus of Miletus
Arctinus of Miletus or Arctinus Milesius ( grc, Ἀρκτῖνος Μιλήσιος) was a Greek epic poet whose reputation is purely legendary, as none of his works survive. Traditionally dated between 775 BC and 741 BC, he was said to have been ...
(8th century BC) (see
Cyclic poets). The poem comprised five books of verse in
dactylic hexameter.
Date
The ''Aethiopis'' was probably composed in the seventh century BC, but there is much uncertainty about its date. Ancient sources date Arctinus to the eighth century; but the earliest artistic representations of one of the most important characters,
Penthesilea, date to about 600 BC, suggesting a much later date.
Content
In current critical editions only five lines survive of the ''Aethiopis original text. We are almost entirely dependent on a summary of the Cyclic epics contained in the ''
Chrestomathy
A chrestomathy ( ; from the Ancient Greek (, “desire of learning”) = (, “useful”) + (, “learn”)) is a collection of selected literary passages (usually from a single author); a selection of literary passages from a foreign language ...
'' attributed to an unknown
Proclus (possibly to be identified with the 2nd-century AD grammarian
Eutychius Proclus). Fewer than ten other references give indications of the poem's storyline.
The poem opens shortly after the death of the
Trojan
Trojan or Trojans may refer to:
* Of or from the ancient city of Troy
* Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...
hero
Hector, with the arrival of the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology co ...
warrior
Penthesileia
Penthesilea ( el, Πενθεσίλεια, Penthesíleia) was an Amazonian queen in Greek mythology, the daughter of Ares and Otrera and the sister of Hippolyta, Antiope and Melanippe. She assisted Troy in the Trojan War, during which she was ...
who has come to support the Trojans. She has a moment of glory in battle, but
Achilles kills her. The Greek warrior
Thersites
In Greek mythology, Thersites (; Ancient Greek: Θερσίτης) was a soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War.
Family
The ''Iliad'' does not mention his father's name, which may suggest that he should be viewed as a commoner rath ...
later taunts Achilles, claiming that he had been in love with her, and Achilles kills him too. Achilles is ritually purified for the murder of Thersites.
Next another Trojan ally arrives,
Memnon
In Greek mythology, Memnon (; Ancient Greek: Μέμνων means 'resolute') was a king of Aethiopia and son of Tithonus and Eos. As a warrior he was considered to be almost Achilles' equal in skill. During the Trojan War, he brought an army ...
, son of
Eos
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Eos (; Ionic and Homeric Greek ''Ēṓs'', Attic ''Héōs'', "dawn", or ; Aeolic ''Aúōs'', Doric ''Āṓs'') is the goddess and personification of the dawn, who rose each morning from her home a ...
and
Tithonus
In Greek mythology, Tithonus ( or ; grc, Τιθωνός, Tithonos) was the lover of Eos, Goddess of the Dawn. He was a prince of Troy, the son of King Laomedon by the Naiad Strymo (Στρυμώ). The mythology reflected by the fifth-century vas ...
, leading an
Ethiopian contingent and wearing armour made by the god
Hephaestus
Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter B ...
. In battle, Memnon kills
Antilochus, a Greek warrior who was the son of
Nestor
Nestor may refer to:
* Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology
Arts and entertainment
* "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses''
* Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, L ...
and a great favourite of Achilles. Achilles then kills Memnon, and Zeus makes Memnon immortal at Eos' request. But in his rage Achilles pursues the Trojans into the very gates of Troy, and at the
Scaean Gates he is killed by an arrow shot by
Paris, assisted by the god
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
. Achilles' body is rescued by
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
and
Odysseus.
The Greeks hold a funeral for Antilochus. Achilles's mother, the sea nymph
Thetis, comes with her sisters and the
Muses to lament over Achilles's body. Funeral games are held in honour of Achilles, at which his armor and weapons are offered as a prize for the greatest hero. A dispute over them develops between Ajax and Odysseus. There the ''Aethiopis'' ends; it is uncertain whether the judgment of Achilles' armor, and subsequent suicide of Ajax, were told in the ''Aethiopis'', in the next epic in the Cycle, the ''
Little Iliad'', or in both.
Importance of the poem
Events told in the story of the ''Aethiopis'' were popular among
ancient Greek vase painters
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...
. Especially popular scenes are the death of Penthesilea, and Ajax's retrieval of Achilles' corpse.
Despite being poorly attested, the ''Aethiopis'' is frequently cited in modern scholarship on the Homeric ''Iliad''. It is one of the most important paradigms used in
Neoanalytic scholarship on Homer because of strong similarities between its story of Achilles, Antilochus, and Memnon, and the Iliadic story of Achilles, Patroclus, and Hector; the claim that such a similarity exists is known as the "Memnon theory".
[See especially W. Schadewaldt 1965, ''Von Homers Welt und Werk'' (4th ed.; orig. publ. 1944; Stuttgart).]
Editions
* Online editions (English translation):
*
Fragments of the ''Aethiopis''translated by H.G. Evelyn-White, 1914 (public domain)
*
Fragments of complete Epic Cycletranslated by H.G. Evelyn-White, 1914; Project Gutenberg edition
*
Proclus' summary of the Epic Cycletranslated by Gregory Nagy
* Print editions (Greek):
** A. Bernabé 1987, ''Poetarum epicorum Graecorum testimonia et fragmenta'' pt. 1 (Leipzig:
Teubner)
** M. Davies 1988, ''Epicorum Graecorum fragmenta'' (Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht)
* Print editions (Greek with English translation):
** M.L. West 2003, ''Greek Epic Fragments'' (Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Harvard University Press)
References
References
* Abrantes, M.C. (2016), ''Themes of the Trojan Cycle: Contribution to the study of the greek mythological tradition'' (Coimbra).
* Burgess, Jonathan S., ''The Tradition of the Trojan War in Homer and the Epic Cycle'', The Johns Hopkins University Press, (2004). . (p. 180).
* Davies, Malcolm; ''Greek Epic Cycle'', Duckworth Publishers; 2 edition (May 2, 2001). .
* Evelyn-White, Hugh G., ''Hesiod the Homeric Hymns and Homerica'', BiblioBazaar (March 13, 2007). .
{{Authority control
7th-century BC books
7th-century BC poems
Epic Cycle
Lost poems