On the poetic talent of the priestess of the oracle of Apollo at Patara

Abstract

В 1881 и 1884 гг. в городе Сидимы была найдена надпись, содержащая речь Гиерона Тлосского. Эта надпись датируется 161–171 гг. Гиерон цитирует изречение Патарского оракула, возвещенное Сидимам 129 лет назад. Это — единственное задокументированное прорицание Патарского оракула, дошедшее до наших дней. Изречение написано гекзаметром и насчитывало 15 строк, но последняя строка не сохранилась. Автор анализирует слова и словосочетания, использованные патарской жрицей, и показывает, что это прорицание было создано человеком, обладавшим незаурядным поэтическим даром. Five stone blocks, found in 1881 and 1884 in the city of Sidyma, have preserved the speech of Hieron, son of Hieron, alias Lysimachus, citizen of Tlos and Xanthus, which he delivered to the inhabitants of Tlos. This speech is dated to 161–171 AD. Hieron quoted the oracle of Apollo Patareus, which was issued to the inhabitants of Sidyma 129 years before his speech. This poem is the only documented prophecy of the oracle of Apollo at Patara that has survived to this day. The prophecy was written in hexameter and apparently consisted of 15 lines, but the last line has not been preserved. The author examines the words and expressions used by the priestess of Apollo and points out that the priestess used rare words and hapaxes in her poem, including the new epithet of Artemis — σκυλακοτρόφος, and also formed unusual combinations from common words that none of the ancient Greek writers used before her. All these features indicate that the poem was created by a person who had an outstanding poetic talent.