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Posthomerica

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Posthomerica, 1541

The Posthomerica (Greek: τὰ μεθ᾿ Ὅμηρον, translit. tà meth᾿ Hómēron; lit. "Things After Homer")[1] is an epic poem in Greek hexameter verse by Quintus of Smyrna. Probably written in the 3rd century AD, it tells the story of the Trojan War, between the death of Hector and the fall of Ilium (Troy).[2] The poem is an abridgement of the events described in the epic poems Aethiopis and Iliou Persis by Arctinus of Miletus, and the Little Iliad by Lesches, all now-lost poems of the Epic Cycle.

The first four books, covering the same ground as the Aethiopis, describe the doughty deeds and deaths of Penthesileia the Amazon, of Memnon, son of the Morning, and of Achilles; and the funeral games in honour of Achilles. Books five through twelve, covering the same ground as the Little Iliad, span from the contest between Ajax and Odysseus for the arms of Achilles, the death of Ajax by suicide after his loss, the exploits of Neoptolemus, Eurypylus and Deiphobus, the deaths of Paris and Oenone, to the building of the wooden horse. The remaining books, covering the same ground as Iliou Persis, relate the capture of Troy by means of the wooden horse, the sacrifice of Polyxena at the grave of Achilles, the departure of the Greeks, and their dispersal by the storm.

Summary

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The plot of Posthomerica begins where Homer's Iliad ends, immediately after Hector's body was regained by the Trojans.[3] Penthesileia, a daughter of Ares, arrives at Troy with a group of Amazon warriors. They arrive from the Thermodon River. Penthesileia has come to share the hardships of war and to escape her people after accidentally killing her sister; she was aiming for a stag. Priam thinks she will save Troy and kill Achilles. Andromache doesn't think that Penthesileia is capable. Priam prayed to Zeus to let Penthesileia return, but he sees an eagle holding a dove, a sign that she will die.

Ajax and Achilles are in the city resting. Hippoclameia tries to convince the Trojan women to fight, but Theano convinces them it is a suicidal idea. Penthesileia kills Podarces in battle. Ajax convinces Achilles that it is time to fight: Achilles kills Penthesileia by impaling her and her horse, but Achilles notices her beauty and realizes that he should have made her his wife. Thersites tells Achilles not to worry about women; Achilles eventually kills him and upsets Diomedes.

Thymoites tells Troy if they are to stay in the city, they will die, therefore everyone should leave. Priam and Paris say that fighting is the answer and Memnon, son of Dawn, and the Ethiopian army will be here soon. Polydamas says that Ethiopians will lose. Zeus thinks that tomorrow's battle will be ugly and full of death. Memnon kills Nestor's son Antilochos in battle. Eventually, after a long and difficult struggle; Achilles kills Memnon. Dawn will not let the sun rise because she is so upset and retreats to Hades, until Zeus convinces her to leave. After Achilles tells him to stop interfering in the battle, Apollo tries to shoot Achilles, wounding his ankle; this will later prove fatal. Zeus is furious with Apollo as he is not supposed to interfere in the mortal world.

The Trojans are still scared to fight the injured Achilles. Achilles dies and Paris attempts to remove his corpse. Ajax defends the body, killing Glaucos, who falls on top of Achilles. Ajax also injures Aeneas. Odysseus helps Ajax defend Achilles' body. Ajax stuns Paris by hitting him with a rock, forcing Paris to give up his attempt to take the corpse. The Greeks successfully drive the Trojans off and rescue Achilles’ body, bringing it back to the Greek camp. Ajax is the first to eulogize Achilles, then Phoinix, Agamemnon, Briseis, and Thetis, Achilles' mother. Calliope tells Thetis that her son will always be remembered. The Greeks then compete in funeral games to commemorate the death of Achilles.

There is a heated argument between Odysseus and Ajax over which one of them is most deserving of receiving Achilles’ armor. The Trojan prisoners are asked to decide which one of them was the better warrior during the defense of Achilles’ body. The hero that fought most bravely and valiantly will be awarded the armor. It is decided that Odysseus will receive the armor. Similar to Sophocles' play Ajax,[4] this leads to Ajax's suicide, and Odysseus speaks his regret at the funeral. He is cremated at sea.

At this point, the gods give Eurypylus to the Trojans. Eurypylus is able to kill many Argive soldiers and drives the Argives to despair. They draw near to the ships, but Neoptolemos arrives to fight the Trojans back. Ares demoralizes the Argives, but Neoptolemos holds his ground and slays Eurypylus. He continues to kill Trojans, such that the author expresses surprise at his body count. Deiphobos challenges him, but Apollo saves the Trojans from Neoptolemos. Apollo tries to kill Neoptolemos, but Zeus threatens to destroy Ilion if he does.

The battle is halted by Calchas, who declares that the battle is not fated to end until Philoctetes joins the Argives. Philoctetes had been left on the island of Lemnos due to receiving a bite on the foot from a poisonous water snake that became infected and repulsive to the other Greeks. This scenario draws on source material from Sophocles' Philoctetes. Philoctetes is rescued from his cave. They tell him that his wound can be healed by the surgeon Podaleninos if he agrees to come with them to Troy. Although Philoctetes considers Odysseus at fault for leaving him on the island, he forgives Odysseus.

Aeneas attempts to convince the Trojans to stay within the city walls, without success. Panic, Fear and Strife arrive at the day's battle. Philoctetes shoots Paris with his poisoned arrows, grazing him on the hand and striking him in the groin. Paris, mortally wounded, tries to get help from his first wife, Oenone, who spurns him because of his affair with Helen. Paris passes away. Priam laments that he was his second best son, and Helen curses the position he put her in. Oenone, regrets her actions and commits suicide by jumping on Paris' funeral pyre. They are buried next to one another, their headstones facing opposite ways.

The battle evens out for both sides. Apollo pushes Aeneas and Eurymachos to fight like madmen against the Greeks, pushing them back until they are rallied by Neoptolemos. The Greeks surge forwards and Aeneas manages to rally the Trojans and check the Greek advance. A dust storm settles over the battle. The next morning, the Argives hide under their shields to get to the gates of Troy, led by Odysseus. Ares gives Aeneas the strength to retaliate by throwing huge rocks. Aeneas exhorts the Trojans to leave the city, but the battle continues around the gates. Philoctetes shoots at Aeneas, but his shield protects him, allowing the arrow to hit Mimas instead.

The seer Calchas sees an omen of a hawk and dove, suggests that the Greeks try a new strategy to take Troy. Odysseus comes up with a plan to create the Trojan Horse. He gets Epeios to construct the horse. Neoptolemos and Philoctetes do not like the plan, because they prefer a more direct battle. Epeios prays to Athena. The horse causes the gods to break out in a brief fight until Zeus ends it. Neoptolemos, Menelaos, Odysseus, Sthenalos, Diomedes and Philoctetes are among those that board the horse. Agamemnon and Nestor stay behind. The Argives leave the horse and Sinon at Troy and pretend to flee. Sinon is heavily disfigured and left as a messenger. He says that the horse is a tribute to Tritogeneia, but Laocoon sees through the deception. He tries to urge the Trojans to burn the horse, but he is struck with blindness by Athena. He and his children are killed by two serpents. The Trojans attempt to sacrifice to the gods, but the sacrifices refuse to catch fire. Statues begin to weep and temples are stained with blood, but the Trojans are not impressed by these negative omens. Cassandra also knows the truth about the horse, but is cursed so that nobody believes her. She attempts to burn the horse but is prevented from doing so.

The Trojans celebrate their victory, but are left unprepared for the Argives as they exit the horse and kill the Trojans. Priam is killed by Neoptolemos. Menelaos kills Deiphobos, who has married Helen after Paris' death. Troy is burned to the ground. The women of Troy are given to the heroes of the Argives. Much of the events here are similar to the events in Euripides' Trojan Women. Ajax the Lesser rapes Cassandra in Athena's shrine, so he is killed by the gods.

Content of each book

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Book 1:[5] Quintus dispenses with the customary invocation of the Muses in order to make his first line continue from the end of the Iliad. Book 1 tells of the arrival of the proud Amazon queen Penthesileia, the welcome she receives from the hard-pressed Trojans, her initial successes in battle, and her defeat by Achilles, who kills Thersites for mocking his admiration for the beautiful victim. The book closes with burial of the dead. Penthesileia featured in the Aethiopis.

Book 2:[6] The Trojans debate their situation. Thymoetes is despondent, Priam encouraging. The wise Polydamas’ suggestion that Helen should be given back meets with an angry response from Paris. The rest of the book is similar in plan to Book 1. Trojan hopes are raised by the arrival of Priam’s nephew Memnon and his Ethiopian troops. Like Penthesileia, he is royally entertained, enjoys initial success in the battle, and is defeated by Achilles. His divine mother, the Dawn, has his body carried away by the winds and metamorphoses his troops into birds. The book closes with mourning, both divine and human. Memnon featured in the Aethiopis, in the Memnon and the Weighing of Souls of Aeschylus, and in the Ethiopians and the Memnon of Sophocles. The bird metamorphosis is not mentioned in Proclus’ summary of the Aethiopis. Quintus’ account of it is close to that given by Dionysius in his didactic poem on fowling, Ixeutica, a summary of which survives; cf. Ovid, Met. 13.576–622.

Book 3:[7] Apollo warns Achilles to stop the slaughter and, when he defiantly continues, shoots him in the ankle with an arrow. After a desperate struggle over his body, in which Ajax, son of Telamon, takes the lead on the Greek side, the Trojans fall back and the body is recovered. Book 3, like Books 1 and 2, ends with mourning. Achilles is lamented by Phoenix, Briseïs, the Nereids, and his mother (Thetis), and the preparations for his funeral are described. Poseidon consoles Thetis with an assurance that Achilles will join the gods and receive special worship. Achilles’ funeral featured in the Aethiopis. Quintus’ account recalls the funeral of Patroclus in Book 23 of the Iliad and alludes to the description of Achilles’ funeral in the Odyssey (24.43–84).

Book 4:[8] The gods react variously to Achilles’ death, and the Greeks prepare to resume hostilities. But Thetis wishes to hold funeral games in honor of her son, and in the remainder of the book these competitions are described. Funeral games for Achilles were described in the Aethiopis, but Quintus is chiefly concerned to engage with the Homeric narrative of the games held by Achilles for Patroclus in Book 23 of the Iliad. He adds all-in wrestling, the long jump, and horse riding, all of which featured in the games of the Roman imperial period; and Nestor’s verse encomium of Achilles probably reflects the artistic contests commonly included in games in Quintus’ time.

Book 5:[9] Achilles’ armor is displayed by Thetis, and there is a long description of the shield. She offers the armor as a reward for the man who recovered Achilles’ body. Ajax (son of Telamon) and Odysseus claim the prize, and the invidious decision between them is left to Trojan prisoners of war. After hearing the speeches, they award the armor to Odysseus. Quintus has narrated the fighting in Book 4 so as to show that this is the wrong decision. Ajax, raging with disappointment, plans to slaughter the Greeks during the night, but Athena diverts his fury against a flock of sheep. Once his madness leaves him, he feels humiliated and kills himself. He is lamented by his half-brother Teucer and his concubine Tecmessa. Odysseus tries to conciliate the army with a patently insincere speech. The book closes with Ajax’ funeral, which recalls that of Achilles at the end of Book 3. Four of the first five books have ended in lamentation, and each side has lost two champions. Having engaged closely in Book 4 with Homer’s account of funeral games, Quintus now offers a description of the shield of Achilles described already by Homer in Book 18 of the Iliad. He alludes to some of the Homeric scenes but shows considerable independence, incorporating more of the horrors of war and including an allegorical scene, the lofty Mount of Virtue. The effect is disconcerting: Quintus and Homer cannot both be right. (Lines 97–98 hardly remedy this problem.) The contest for Achilles’ arms and its dénouement were described in the Aethiopis (which seems not to have had the story of Ajax’ madness) and in the Little Iliad. By Quintus’ time, countless rhetoricians and poets had composed speeches for Ajax and Odysseus. The fullest surviving version of the episode is in Book 13 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where, unsurprisingly, several similar arguments are deployed. Quintus’ account of the madness and suicide owes some details to Sophocles’ Ajax.

Book 6:[10] Menelaüs tests the Greeks’ resolve by proposing retreat, but Diomedes threatens to kill anyone who tries to leave before Troy is taken. In response to advice from the seer Calchas that this will not happen unless Achilles’ son Neoptolemus is present, Odysseus and Diomedes set sail for Scyros to fetch him. Eurypylus, leader of the Cetaeans, comes with his army to the aid of the Trojans. He is the grandson of Heracles and the son of Telephus, who once fought Achilles. Like Penthesileia in Book 1 and Memnon in Book 2, he is royally received. There is a long description of his shield, which depicts the Labors of Heracles; this complements the description of Achilles’ shield in Book 5. The second half of the book tells of various encounters in battle between the Greeks and the Trojans, with Eurypylus leading the Trojan attack. The testing of troops is inspired by a similar episode in Book 2 of the Iliad, the battle scenes by parts of Book 11. Eurypylus figured in the Little Iliad and in a tragedy of Sophocles, now lost, named after him.

Book 7:[11] Some of the Greeks hold funerals for Nireus and Machaon, victims of Eurypylus. Machaon’s grief-stricken brother Podalirius is offered consolation by Nestor. The Greek forces are driven back to their wall by Eurypylus. A truce allows burial of the dead. Meanwhile Odysseus and Diomedes find Neoptolemus eager to join the war, in spite of the pleading of his mother, Deïdamia. They return to Troy just in time to rescue the Greek cause. Neoptolemus is given his father’s armor, and he rushes into battle. The book closes with his formal welcome from Phoenix and the Greek commanders. Both sides are now confident of success. The embassy of Odysseus and Diomedes to Scyros was told in the Little Iliad. Sophocles and Euripides wrote plays entitled Men of Scyros, now lost, which treated the same episode. Deïdamia’s tearful farewells are inspired by the scene between Jason and his mother, Alcimede, in Book 1 of Apollonius’ Argonautica. Neoptolemus is mentioned in both the Iliad (19.327–33) and the Odyssey (11.505–37).

Book 8:[12] Eurypylus and Neoptolemus lead out their forces, and each is successful in the battle. Eventually they meet, exchange proud words, and fight. Eurypylus is slain. Neoptolemus runs riot. Ares rallies the Trojans but is warned by Zeus not to fight Neoptolemus. Apollo encourages the Trojans, and fierce fighting ensues. Just as the Greeks seem about to break into the city, Ganymede begs Zeus not to let him see Troy’s destruction. Zeus hides the city in cloud, and Nestor warns the Greeks not to incur divine anger. They stop fighting, bury their dead, and honor the exploits of Neoptolemus. Both sides keep watch through the night. The killing of Eurypylus was narrated in the Little Iliad and is mentioned in the Odyssey (11.519–21). The second half of the book is inspired by the interventions of Ares and Athena in Book 5 of the Iliad.

Book 9:[13] The Trojans bury Eurypylus, and Neoptolemus prays at the tomb of his father, Achilles. Deïphobus encourages the fearful Trojans to fight, and both he and Neoptolemus slay countless victims. Finally they meet, but Deïphobus is removed from the battlefield by Apollo. Poseidon supports the Greeks and warns Apollo not to kill Neoptolemus. Calchas reveals that Troy may not be captured without the help of Philoctetes. Odysseus and Diomedes go to fetch him from the island of Lemnos. They find him living in a cave and still suffering from the putrid wound whose stench had caused the Greeks to abandon him. He is persuaded to accompany them to Troy, where he is cured by Podalirius, honored, and offered compensation. Philoctetes and his wound are mentioned in the Iliad (2.721–25). The embassy to fetch him was told in the Little Iliad. Sophocles’ tragedy Philoctetes will have been known to Quintus. Euripides wrote a play, now lost, on the same subject.

Book 10:[14] In an opening similar to that of Book 2, the wise Polydamas advises the Trojans to fight defensively from their walls, but Aeneas is for continuing the battle. Intense fighting ensues. Philoctetes, whose baldric is described at length, shoots many victims with the bow of Heracles and eventually wounds Paris. It has been prophesied that he can be cured only by Oenone, the wife whom he deserted in favor of Helen. She rejects his plea with scorn. Hera and the Seasons discuss what will happen after his death. Hecuba and Helen lament him, and the remorseful Oenone leaps on his funeral pyre. The opening debate recalls that between Polydamas and Hector in Book 18 of the Iliad. In the Little Iliad Paris was killed by Philoctetes in the battle itself. Oenone’s story had been familiar at least since the Hellenistic period.

Book 11:[15] The first part of the book tells of the battle on the plain. Aeneas and Eurymachus are urged on by Apollo. The Trojans are driven back by Neoptolemus and his Myrmidons, but Aeneas rallies them. When Athena intervenes on the Greek side, Aphrodite removes Aeneas from the battlefield, and the Trojans retreat within their walls. The second part of the book describes the Greeks’ assault on the city on the following day. The result is an impasse. The removal of Aeneas from the fighting is based on Iliad 5.311–17, 445–46, and several other scenes are inspired more generally by Books 5 and 13. The narrative of the siege has elements in common with the messenger speech in Euripides’ Phoenician Women (1090–1199) and with Virgil’s account of the attack on the Trojans’ camp at Aen. 9.503–89.

Book 12:[16] Prompted by an omen, the seer Calchas advises the Greeks to resort to trickery. Odysseus suggests a wooden horse. Neoptolemus and Philoctetes wish to continue fighting, but an omen from Zeus guarantees the plan. Epeüs is inspired by Athena to construct the horse. A fight between the gods on opposing sides in the war is quelled by Zeus. Sinon volunteers to stand by the horse and persuade the Trojans to take it inside their city. Nestor is keen to join the ambush, but is dissuaded. Quintus invokes the Muses to help him list those who entered the horse. The rest of the Greeks, with Nestor and Agamemnon, sail away to Tenedos. When questioned by the Trojans, Sinon maintains his story. The priest Laocoön urges them to burn the horse, but his sudden blinding by Athena persuades them that they should ignore his advice and drag it into Troy. Two serpents emerge from the sea and devour Laocoön’s sons. Troy is filled with sinister omens. Cassandra warns the Trojans of their danger, but they prevent her from attacking the horse and begin their final carouse. The battle between the gods is inspired by the Theomachy in Book 20 of the Iliad. The story of the wooden horse was told in the Little Iliad and the Sack of Troy and is recounted in the Odyssey (8.492–520; cf. 4.271–89, 11.523–32). Sophocles wrote plays entitled Laocoön and Sinon, now lost, and many other authors treated the subject. The best-known extant account is that in Virgil’s Aeneid (2.13–249), where the narrator is Aeneas.

Book 13:[17] As the Trojans sleep, Sinon summons the Greeks. The slaughter begins. Ilioneus vainly begs Diomedes for his life, but Priam is eager to be killed when confronted by Neoptolemus. Hector’s young son Astyanax is murdered; his mother, Andromache, begs for death but is taken into slavery. Antenor is spared as reward for past hospitality. Calchas warns the Greeks not to harm Aeneas, who is destined to found a new city. Menelaüs kills Helen’s new husband, Deïphobus, but Aphrodite prevents him from killing Helen. Locrian Ajax rapes Cassandra in the temple of Athena, incurring the goddess’s wrath. The city is set ablaze. Theseus’ mother, Aethra, unexpectedly meets her grandsons. Priam’s daughter Laodice prays to be swallowed up by the earth. Most of these events were narrated in the Sack of Ilium. The best-known extant account is that in Virgil’s Aeneid (2.250–804), where the narrator is Aeneas.

Book 14:[18] The women of Troy are assigned to their new masters. Helen’s beauty prevents the Greeks from blaming her. There are general celebrations, with bards singing of the war. Menelaüs forgives Helen. Achilles appears to Neoptolemus in a dream, gives him moral advice, and demands the sacrifice of Polyxena to appease his continuing anger over Briseïs. Her sacrifice, and the misery of her mother Hecuba, are described at length. Hecuba is metamorphosed into a dog made of stone. The voyage gets under way, with very different emotions experienced by the Greeks and the captive women. Athena complains to Zeus of Locrian Ajax’ sacrilege and is lent the weapons of storm. The ships are scattered. Ajax is defiant to the end. Many perish on the Capherean Rocks. Poseidon destroys all trace of the Greeks’ walls at Troy. The survivors come to land. The Odyssey can begin. Most of these events were treated in the Sack of Ilium and the Returns. The sacrifice of Polyxena and Hecuba’s metamorphosis feature in Euripides’ Hecuba (cf. Ovid, Met. 13.429–575). Sophocles wrote a Polyxena, now lost.The storm scene has elements in common with that in Book 1 of the Aeneid (34–123). The storm and the assigning of the women are described in Euripides’ Trojan Women (48–97, 235–92). Locrian Ajax’ death is mentioned in Book 4 of the Odyssey (499–511). The destruction of the Greek walls is foretold in Book 12 of the Iliad (3–33).

The major characters

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Relationship to previous epics

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Its style has been criticized by many scholars as subpar to Homer, but it is valuable as the earliest surviving account of this period in the Trojan War. The Iliad ends with "Such was the funeral of Hector, tamer of horses"; later poets changed this to however it might fit their needs. Quintus used it as an opening line: "Such was the funeral of Hector. And now there came an Amazon..."

The purpose of the story seems to be to complete the Iliad and give the characters a sense of closure. Many of the characters who had hated an ally in prior works, such as Philoctetes to Odysseus in Sophocles' play, now easily overcome the anger to create harmony.

Critical editions

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  • A. Zimmermann, Quinti Smyrnaei Posthomericorum libri XIV, Leipzig 1891 (reprinted Stuttgart 1969).
  • F. Vian, La suite d'Homère. Texte établi et traduit par Francis Vian, I-III, Paris 1963–9.
  • G. Pompella, Quinti Smyrnaei Posthomerica. Olms-Weidmann, Hildesheim & New York 2002.
  • Alan James, Quintus of Smyrna, The Trojan War: Posthomerica, English translation, Johns Hopkins 2004.

References

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  1. ^ Renker, S. (2020:13). A Commentary on Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica 13. Germany: University of Bamberg Press.
  2. ^ Baumbach, M., Bär, S. (2007). Quintus Smyrnaeus: Transforming Homer in Second Sophistic Epic. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-3-11-019577-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Maciver, Calum (2012). Quintus Smyrnaeus' Posthomerica: Engaging Homer in Late Antiquity. Brill.
  4. ^ James, Alan and Lee, Kevin (2000). A Commentary on Quintus of Smyrna, Posthomerica V. Brill.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 11.
  6. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 77.
  7. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 131.
  8. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 193.
  9. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 240.
  10. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 295.
  11. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 347.
  12. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 405.
  13. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 445.
  14. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 491.
  15. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 533.
  16. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 574.
  17. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 623.
  18. ^ Hopkinson, Neil (2018). Quintus Smyrnaeus. Posthomerica. harvard University Press. p. 670.
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