“It is not difficult to say that Achilles came out armed in some such fashion as this, and did some such deeds as this, but to supplement this with an explanation of what words he might say if caught in the river is no longer easy”.

 

In an interesting passage of his Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus (19 d-e), Proclus resorts to a well-known Homeric example (Il. 21.273-283: the clash between Achilles and Scamander) to clarify the meaning of Plato’s text. This paper will focus on the rhetorical background of Proclus’s explanation, linking it to the teaching of the progymnasmata in late antique schools.

 

Dr Luigi Pirovano holds a PhD in Classical Studies (Milan 2004). The main foci of his research are Virgilian exegesis (Tib. Claudius Donatus, Servius) and ancient rhetoric (praeexercitamina, Emporius). He is currently preparing a critical edition (with English translation and commentary) of Emporius’s rhetorical chapters, and a monographic volume on the manuscript tradition of Tib. Claudius Donatus.

 

This seminar is free and all are welcome.