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APOLLONIUS OF RHODES (RHOD1us)

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 188 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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APOLLONIUS OF See also:RHODES (RHOD1us) , a See also:Greek epic poet and grammarian, of See also:Alexandria, who flourished under the See also:Ptolemies Philopator and Epiphanes (222-181 B.C.). He was the See also:pupil of See also:Callimachus, with whom he subsequently quarrelled. In his youth he composed the See also:work for which he is known-Argonautica, an epic in four books on the See also:legend of the See also:Argonauts. When he read it at Alexandria, it was rejected through the See also:influence of Callimachus and his party. Disgusted with his failure, Apollonius withdrew to Rhodes, where he was very successful as a rhetorician, and a revised edition of his epic was well received. In recognition of his talents the Rhodians bestowed the freedom of their See also:city upon him—the origin of his surname. Returning to Alexandria, he again recited his poem, this See also:time with See also:general See also:applause. In 196, See also:Ptolemy Epiphanes appointed him librarian of the Museum, which See also:office he probably held until his See also:death. As to the Argonautica, See also:Longinus' (De Sublim. p. 54, 19) and See also:Quintilian's (Instil. x. 1, 54) See also:verdict of mediocrity seems hardly deserved; although it lacks the naturalness of See also:Homer, it possesses a certain simplicity and contains some beautiful passages. There is a valuable collection of scholia.

The work, highly esteemed by the See also:

Romans, was imitated by See also:Virgil (Aeneid, iv.), See also:Varro Atacinus, and See also:Valerius See also:Flaccus. Marianna (about A.D. Soo) paraphrased it in See also:iambic trimeters. Apollonius also wrote epigrams; grammatical and See also:critical See also:works; and KrlcraS (the See also:foundations of cities). Editio Princeps (See also:Florence, 1496) ; Merkel-Keil (with scholia, 1854) See also:Seaton (1900). See also:English See also:translations: See also:Verse, by See also:Greene (178o); See also:Fawkes (1780); See also:Preston (1811); Way (1901); See also:Prose by See also:Coleridge (1889); see also Couat, La Poesie alexandrine; Susemihl, Geschichte der griech. Lit. in der alexandrinischen Zeit.

End of Article: APOLLONIUS OF RHODES (RHOD1us)

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