Alexandrine grammarians
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 Alexandrine grammarians was never confined to grammar, and in fact may not have included it, since grammar in the modern sense is a post-classical discipline.[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 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.
- Frede, Michael (1987). ""The Origins of Traditional Grammar". Essays in Ancient Philosophy. U. of Minnesota Press. p. 339. ISBN 978-0816612758.
- Thogmartin, Clyde (1984) Tense, Aspect, and Context in French Narrative The French Review, Vol. 57, No. 3 (Feb., 1984), pp. 344-349