Alcidamas and the Idea of Literary History: P. Mich. Inv. 2754

The problematic and important P. Mich. Inv. 2754 is generally agreed to preserve part of Alcidamas' Mouseion, and that work is in turn generally agreed to lie behind the extant Contest of Homer and Hesiod. Building on and sometimes diverging from James Porter's recent contribution in this journal, this essay offers new answers to long-standing problems. Section 1 interprets the difficult final lines of the Michigan papyrus. Section 2 adduces corroborating evidence by drawing parallels with the Contest. Section 3 argues that the papyrus preserves the end of Alcidamas' Mouseion, which was also known as his On Homer. Section 4 offers a more holistic interpretation of the Mouseion and its epilogue.

Automated summary

This essay presents new answers to long-standing problems regarding the problematic and important P. Mich. Inv. 2754, which is believed to preserve part of Alcidamas' Mouseion. It also provides a holistic interpretation of the Mouseion and its epilogue.