{"id":4461,"date":"2025-05-08T10:08:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T08:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secolidimezzo.com\/non-categorizzato\/agoni-musicali-prima-della-battaglia-di-metone\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T12:26:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T11:26:52","slug":"agoni-musicali-prima-della-battaglia-di-metone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secolidimezzo.com\/en\/the-poetic-musical-agons-in-macedonia\/musical-contests-before-the-battle-of-methone\/","title":{"rendered":"Musical Contests before the Battle of Methone"},"content":{"rendered":"

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[Topic] <\/strong>Musical contests before the Battle of Methone<\/p>\n

[Source] <\/strong>Didym. in [Dem.] 12, 55-62, pp. 45-46 Pearson-Stevens = Philox. fr. 4 Fongoni<\/p>\n

[Period]<\/strong>\u00a0400\u2013350 BC (354 BC ca.)<\/p>\n<\/div>

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[Text]<\/strong><\/p><\/div>

\u03a4\u1f70 \u03bc\u1f72\u03bd \u03b3\u1f70\u03c1 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03bb\u03b7\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f41\u03bc\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 M\u03b1\u03c1\u03c3\u03cd\u1fb3 (FGrHist<\/em> 135-136 F 17), \u03b4\u03b9\u03cc\u03c4\u03b9 \u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03bb\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9 \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2 \u1f00\u03b3\u1ff6\u03bd\u03b1\u03c2 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1ff7 \u03bc\u03b9\u03ba\u03c1\u1f78\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c9 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c5\u03bc\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u1fb6\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03b4\u03b1\u03af\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03b1 \u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03ad\u03b2\u03b7 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u039a\u03cd\u03ba\u03bb\u03c9\u03c0\u03b1 \u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2 \u03b1\u1f50\u03bb\u1fc6\u03c3\u03b1\u03b9, \u1f08\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9\u03b3\u03b5\u03bd\u03b5\u03af\u03b4\u03b7\u03bd \u03bc\u1f72\u03bd \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03a6\u03b9\u03bb\u03bf\u03be\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5, X\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd \u03b4\u1f72 \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03a3\u03c4\u03b7\u03c3\u03b9\u03c7\u03cc\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5, \u039f\u1f30\u03bd\u03b9\u03ac\u03b4\u03b7\u03bd \u03b4(\u1f72) \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03a4\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u03b8\u03ad\u03bf\u03c5.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

[Critical apparatus]<\/strong><\/p><\/div>

\u039f\u1f30\u03bd\u03b9\u03ac\u03b4\u03b7\u03bd \u03b4(\u1f72) \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03a4\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u03b8\u03ad\u03bf\u03c5 Foucart: \u03a4\u03b9\u03bc\u03cc\u03b8\u03b5\u03bf\u03bd \u03b4(\u1f72) \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u039f\u1f30\u03bd\u03b9\u03ac\u03b4\u03bf\u03c5 Pap.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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[Translation]<\/strong><\/p><\/div>

Now, as for the story concerning the aulos players, that is agreed upon even by Marsyas. (It says) that, as he (scil<\/em>. Philip) was celebrating a music festival a little before this misfortune (i.e. <\/em>the loss of his eye), it happened that fatefully all (the aulos players) played the (dithyramb) Kyklops<\/em> (i.e.<\/em> the one-eyed man); Antigeneides (played) the (Kyklops<\/em>) of Philoxenos, Khrysogonos the (Kyklops<\/em>) of [Stesikhoros, and Timotheos the (Kyklops<\/em>) of Oiniades.<\/p>\n

(trad. P. Hordern)<\/p>\n<\/div>

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[Comment]<\/strong><\/p><\/div>

The information regarding an early musical contest organized by Philip II of Macedon is derived from a passage by Didymus, found in his commentary on Demosthenes\u2019 speech \u03a0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bb\u1f74\u03bd \u03a6\u03b9\u03bb\u03af\u03c0\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5 (12, 55-62). According to the account, the ag\u014dn<\/em> was arranged by the king shortly before the battle of Methone in 354 BC, during which Philip lost his right eye (\u03bc\u03b9\u03ba\u03c1\u1f78\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c9 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c5\u03bc\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u1fb6\u03c2). During the competition, the aule\u0304tai<\/em> are said to have performed three dithyrambs, all entitled Cyclops<\/em>, each attributed to a different poet: Antigenides performed the Cyclops<\/em> by Philoxenus, Chrysogonus that by Stesichorus, and Oiniades that by Timotheus (on the curious coincidence that three performers would play dithyrambs by different poets but with the same subject, see Riginos 1994, p. 110; Harding 2006, p. 236). Regarding the final poet-performer pairing, we follow Foucart\u2019s conjecture (1909, pp. 140-141; see critical apparatus), which proposes an inversion of the names as transmitted in the papyrus, reading: \u201cOiniades performed the Cyclops<\/em> by Timotheus\u201d, rather than \u201cTimotheus performed that of Oiniades\u201d. Given that no poet by the name of Oiniades is attested, it is plausible to identify him instead with the Theban aule\u0304te\u0304s<\/em> of the same name, son of Pronomus, who is known for his victory at the Dionysia in 384 BC (IG<\/em> II\u00b2 3064). He would therefore have performed the Cyclops<\/em> by Timotheus of Miletus, fragments of which survive. Doubts have been raised regarding the reliability of Didymus\u2019 report, particularly concerning the principal source he draws upon for this episode: the Histories<\/em> of Duris of Samos, a prominent representative of the so-called \u2018tragic\u2019 historiography. Didymus himself expresses some caution about Duris\u2019 account, highlighting his tendency toward sensationalism and the miraculous. Even in the passage concerning the musical contest, there appears to be an allusion to a prophetic or supernatural dimension (cfr. \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70 \u03b4\u03b1\u03af\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03b1). Nonetheless, according to Didymus, this specific episode is corroborated by the Macedonian historian Marsyas of Pella, a contemporary and companion of Alexander the Great (FGrHist<\/em> 135-136 F 17). The phrasing of the citation\u2014\u03c4\u1f70 \u03bc\u1f72\u03bd \u03b3\u1f70\u03c1 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03bb\u03b7\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f41\u03bc\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03b5\u1fd6\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u1f70 \u039c\u03b1\u03c1\u03c3\u03cd\u1fb3 (\u201cthe facts concerning the aule\u0304tai<\/em> are also confirmed by Marsyas\u201d)\u2014suggests that the episode was well known and well documented. This strengthens the credibility of the report concerning Philip\u2019s organization of musical contests and provides evidence for the circulation and re-performance of dithyrambic works by famous poets and musicians within Macedonian agonistic<\/em> settings (see Fongoni 2014, p. 104). The specific location of these contests is not indicated. If one allows for a broader interval between the contest and the king\u2019s injury, it might be plausible to contextualize the event within the Olympieia at Dion. Assuming a four-year cycle for this Macedonian national ag\u014dn<\/em> (on which see Mari 1998, pp. 150-152), a date around 356 BC could be suggested. However, since the source clearly states that the contest occurred shortly before the king\u2019s misfortune (\u03bc\u03b9\u03ba\u03c1\u1f78\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u03ac\u03bd\u03c9 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c5\u03bc\u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u1fb6\u03c2), it is also reasonable to propose that it took place in the Macedonian camp during the siege of Methone, which lasted several months. This view is supported by Giannou (2016, p. 46), who suggests that the performances occurred on improvised wooden stages set up by itinerant troupes, citing Plat. Leg.<\/em> 817c as evidence for such a practice.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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[Essential Bibliography]<\/strong><\/p><\/div>

A. FONGONI, Filoxeni Cytherii. <\/em>Testimonia et fragmenta<\/em>, Pisa-Roma 2014; P. FOUCART, \u2018\u00c9tude sur Didymos d\u2019apr\u00e8s un papyrus de Berlin\u2019, in M\u00e9moires de l’Institut national de France<\/em>, tome 38, 1\u1d49 partie, Paris 1909, pp. 27-218; T. GIANNOU, \u2018Theatre and Music in Classical and Hellenistic Macedonia\u2019, Logeion <\/em>6, 2016, pp. 30-92; P. HARDING (<\/em>ed., trans.), Didymos<\/em>: On Demosthenes<\/em>, Oxford 2006; M. MARI, \u2018Le Olimpie macedoni di Dion tra Archelao e l\u2019et\u00e0 romana\u2019, RFIC<\/em> 126, 1998, pp. 137-169; A.S. RIGINOS, \u2018The Wounding of Philip II of Macedon: Fact and Fabrication\u2019, JHS<\/em> 114, 1994, pp. 103-119.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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[Keywords]<\/strong><\/p><\/div>

Musical contests, aulos players, dithyramb, Cyclops<\/em>, Philip II<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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