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The '''Alexandrine grammarians''' were [[philologist]]s and textual scholars who flourished in [[History of Alexandria|Hellenistic Alexandria]] in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, when that city was the center of [[Hellenistic]] culture. Despite the name, the work of the |
The '''Alexandrine grammarians''' were [[philologist]]s and textual scholars who flourished in [[History of Alexandria|Hellenistic Alexandria]] in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, when that city was the center of [[Hellenistic]] culture. Despite the name, the work of the Alexandrin grammarians was never confined to grammar, and in fact did not include it, since grammar in the modern sense did not exist until the first century B.C.<ref name="Forbes33">Forbes (1933) p.105</ref> In Hellenistic and later times, "grammarian" refers primarily to scholars concerned with the restoration, proper reading, explanation and interpretation of the classical texts, including literary criticism.<ref name=Frede1987>Frede (1987)</ref> |
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The Alexandrine grammarians undertook the critical revision of the works of classical [[Ancient Greek literature|Greek literature]],<ref name="Cruttwell">Charles Thomas Cruttwell ''[http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_histromlit_3_4.htm A History of Roman Literature: From the Earliest Period to the Death of Marcus Aurelius]''</ref> particularly those of [[Homer]], and their studies were profoundly influential,{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} marking the beginning of the ancient [[Western grammatical tradition]].<ref name="Thogmartin84">Thogmartin (1984) p.344</ref> From the beginning, a typical custom, and methodological bias of this tradition was to focus their commentary and analysis on de-contestualized sentences.<ref name="Thogmartin84"/><ref>Harris 1982</ref> |
The Alexandrine grammarians undertook the critical revision of the works of classical [[Ancient Greek literature|Greek literature]],<ref name="Cruttwell">Charles Thomas Cruttwell ''[http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_histromlit_3_4.htm A History of Roman Literature: From the Earliest Period to the Death of Marcus Aurelius]''</ref> particularly those of [[Homer]], and their studies were profoundly influential,{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} marking the beginning of the ancient [[Western grammatical tradition]].<ref name="Thogmartin84">Thogmartin (1984) p.344</ref> From the beginning, a typical custom, and methodological bias of this tradition was to focus their commentary and analysis on de-contestualized sentences.<ref name="Thogmartin84"/><ref>Harris 1982</ref> |
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Revision as of 15:35, 26 September 2011
The Alexandrine grammarians were philologists and textual scholars who flourished in Hellenistic Alexandria in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, when that city was the center of Hellenistic culture. Despite the name, the work of the Alexandrin grammarians was never confined to grammar, and in fact did not include it, since grammar in the modern sense did not exist until the first century B.C.[1] In Hellenistic and later times, "grammarian" refers primarily to scholars concerned with the restoration, proper reading, explanation and interpretation of the classical texts, including literary criticism.[2]
The Alexandrine grammarians undertook the critical revision of the works of classical Greek literature,[3] particularly those of Homer, and their studies were profoundly influential,[citation needed] marking the beginning of the ancient Western grammatical tradition.[4] From the beginning, a typical custom, and methodological bias of this tradition was to focus their commentary and analysis on de-contestualized sentences.[4][5]
Notable members
Important members of the Alexandrian grammarians included:
- Zenodotus of Ephesus (fl. ca. 280 BCE): First superintendent of the Library of Alexandria and editor of Homer.
- Callimachus (fl. ca. 260 BCE): Poet, critic, and scholar who cataloged the Library.
- Aristophanes of Byzantium (ca. 257 BCE–ca. 185 BCE): Editor of Homer and inventor of the polytonic orthography of classical Greek.
- Aristarchus of Samothrace (ca. 220–ca. 143 BCE): Responsible for the most important critical edition of the Homeric poems.
- Dionysius Thrax (170 BCE–90 BCE): Homeric scholar and student of Aristarchus, who did author a Greek grammar, although it did not discuss syntax.
- Didymus Chalcenterus: (ca. 63 BCE–10 CE): Commentator on lyric and comic poets, who compiled and transmitted the work of his predecessors.
Notes
References
- Harris, Roy (1982) "The Language Myth", London, Duckworth.
- Forbes, P. B. R. (July 1933). "Greek Pioneers in Philology and Grammar". The Classical Review. 47 (3). Cambridge University Press: 105. JSTOR 699069.
- Frede, Michael (1987). ""The Origins of Traditional Grammar". Essays in Ancient Philosophy. U. of Minnesota Press. p. 339. ISBN 978-0-8166-1275-8.
- Thogmartin, Clyde (1984) Tense, Aspect, and Context in French Narrative The French Review, Vol. 57, No. 3 (Feb., 1984), pp. 344–349