Conference: THE GARLANDS OF MELEAGER AND PHILIP IN DIALOGUE (Day 1)

This two-day conference is devoted to Hellenistic and Early Imperial Greek book epigram and, specifically, to the similarities, divergences, points of contact and interactions between the epigrams collected in the Garlands of Meleager and Philip.

Keynotes: Benjamin Acosta-Hughes (Ohio State Univ.), Regina Höschele (LMU München)

In the proem to his epigram collection (AP IV.2), Philip of Thessalonica explicitly presents his editorial work as a continuation of Meleager’s, even if he does so in contrasting terms: he distinguishes between the ‘older’ and the ‘younger’ poets. Unlike Meleager, he addresses an explicitly Roman addressee, inviting him “to participate actively in the Garland’s creation” (Höschele 2017, 15). How should we read the two Garlands in dialogue? To what extent do these notions of continuity and distinction translate into other forms of interaction between the epigrams, such as intertextual engagement, generic expectations, or the development of metapoetic, globalising or ecocritical perspectives?

Up to now, comparative work on the Garlands has mainly focused on editorial technique and structure. Scholars such as Gutzwiller (1998) and Höschele (2019; 2016; 2010) have analysed the different ways each anthologist shaped his collection into a coherent whole. Kanellou (2025) has recently added a long diachronic perspective through subgenre analysis, while others have compared individual authors with a focus on ascription (e.g. Argentieri 2003) or offered preliminary comparative suggestions (e.g. Zanker 2007). Meanwhile, epigram scholarship has recently gained momentum in a wide variety of approaches, impossible to cite here at length: new editions and commentaries of individual epigrammatists (e.g. Stephens & Acosta-Hughes 2025; Calderón Dorda 2024; Garulli 2022; Ypsilanti 2021), increased attention to the role of the Syllogae Minores in the interpretation of epigrams (e.g. Floridi 2024), and thematic studies on topics like materiality and visual culture (e.g. Prioux 2018; 2017), language and style (e.g. Scicolone 2024; Sistakou & Rengakos 2016) or globalisation (e.g. de Jonge 2022; Schmitz 2022; Ambühl 2019). Greek epigram has also been studied through the concept of anchoring innovation, part of the research agenda of OIKOS, the Dutch National Research School in Classical Studies (e.g. Lardinois 2018).

This venue invites interested scholars to build upon this momentum, and to expand this wealth of new knowledge and approaches and apply it to a comparative study of the epigrams in both Garlands – textually, generically, and culturally. We welcome not only papers that deepen traditional literary approaches but also papers exploring new perspectives such as ecocriticism and cognitive theory, with the goal of casting new light on the anthologies’ common trends and divergent patterns.

Call for Papers: Cf P International Conference Hellenistic and Early Imperial Book Epigram

Scholars wishing to present a paper (25 minutes + discussion) are kindly requested to submit an abstract (max. 300 words) with select bibliography, and a short bio (max. 100 words) by 30 September 2025 to the organisers Oriol Febrer (Leiden) and Kees Geluk (Leiden) via o.febrer.i.vilaseca@hum.leidenuniv.nl and k.geluk@hum.leidenuniv.nl.