Andrea Filoni

The grammarian Epaphroditus of Chaeronea lived and was a successful teacher in Rome during the last quarter of the I c. A.D.; we may find trace of his stay in Rome in fr. 49 B.-B. In order to explain νῶροψ, the Homeric epithet of bronze (Hom. Il. II 578 etc.), Epaphroditus probably mentioned the Norican iron, celebrated in Rome, but less known in the Eastern part of the Empire....

SUMMARY: According to Eustathius, the 12th century Homeric commentator who could read the complete book VII of Strabo’s Geography, at VII 7, 11 the ancient reading proposed for Hom. Od. XVI 403 is not tomouroi, as in MSS and modern editions of Strabo, but tomourai. The first indicates the prophets of the sanctuary of Zeus at Dodona, the second their prophecies; both rare terms are quoted in the passage, and the second was easily confused with the first one. The textual discussion comes from Apollodorus’ commentary on the Homeric Catalogue of Ships; a reconstruction of Eustathius’ sources about Dodona is given too. Appendix: A better reconstruction of Strabo VII fr. 1 Radt is made possible by comparison of two Apollodorean testimonia (Eustathius on Hom. Od. XIV 327-28 and Sch. in Soph. Trach. 172). The fragment should include a quotation from Herodotus (II 57). Apollodorus appears to discuss about the Dodona doves, in order to explain the disturbing fact that the birds, according to an established tradition, could speak.