According Kastor of Rhodes, Sikyonians are chronologically the oldest on record among all the Greeks. Such a claim is based on two lists of their kings, one deriving from Kastor himself, and another from Pausanias. The two lists bear differences in the spelling of names, length, and the number and order of some of the kings. Modern debate splits along two fronts: one proposes that discrepancies are due to ancient political interventions, while the other focuses on modifications made by chronographers. Yet, neither front has fully explained possible phenomena behind the formation of the lists. This article, adopting literary criticism and a comparative methodology, stresses the similarities rather than the differences between the two lists, and analyses possible reasons behind inconsistencies. The present work shows that a complexity of factors involving mythical traditions, identity, political matters, and agency of ancient authors are all interrelated in the formation of the two lists.

The Oldest on Record. A Study on the Sikyonian Kings Lists

nenci, nicola
2021

Abstract

According Kastor of Rhodes, Sikyonians are chronologically the oldest on record among all the Greeks. Such a claim is based on two lists of their kings, one deriving from Kastor himself, and another from Pausanias. The two lists bear differences in the spelling of names, length, and the number and order of some of the kings. Modern debate splits along two fronts: one proposes that discrepancies are due to ancient political interventions, while the other focuses on modifications made by chronographers. Yet, neither front has fully explained possible phenomena behind the formation of the lists. This article, adopting literary criticism and a comparative methodology, stresses the similarities rather than the differences between the two lists, and analyses possible reasons behind inconsistencies. The present work shows that a complexity of factors involving mythical traditions, identity, political matters, and agency of ancient authors are all interrelated in the formation of the two lists.
2021
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11391/1592854
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