Early Textual History of Lucretius'' De Rerum Natura

Surveys the first millennium in the circulation of Lucretius' De rerum natura, analysing its ancient readers, annotators, scribes and owners.

List of contents

Preface; Introduction; 1. A sketch of the extant Lucretian manuscripts; 2. The indirect tradition of Lucretius; 3. The capitula of DRN; 4. The correcting hands of O; 5. The marginal annotations of Q1; Conclusion; Appendix 1. Capitula Lucretiana; Appendix 2. Apparatus fontium Lucreti (ante a.d. millesimum); Appendix 3. The corrections and annotations of O; Appendix 4. The foliation of the Lucretian archetype; Appendix 5. The fate of OQS in the early modern period.

About the author

David Butterfield is a Fellow of Queens' College and Lecturer in Classics at the University of Cambridge.

Summary

The first full study of the survival of Lucretius' De rerum natura, the controversial six-book poem espousing Epicurean philosophy. A detailed analysis of the poem's circulation, readers and commentators in antiquity, as well as its medieval scribes and owners, sheds light on the poem's tenuous threads of transmission.

Product details

• Authors: David Butterfield, David (University of Cambridge) Butterfield
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.01.2019
• EAN: 9781108730235
• ISBN: 978-1-108-73023-5
• No. of pages: 362
• Series: Cambridge Classical Studies; Cambridge Classical Studies
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Latin, HISTORY / Ancient / General, Ancient World, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Ancient Rome, Literary studies: poetry & poets, Poetry by individual poets, Classical history / classical civilisation, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, Literary studies: poetry and poets, Palaeography (History Of Writing), BCE to c 500 CE