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Papers by Alexander Petkas

Brill's Companion to the Reception of Ancient Rhetoric, 2021

On why training in Classical Rhetoric, i.e. a proper literary education was perceived to be worth... more On why training in Classical Rhetoric, i.e. a proper literary education was perceived to be worth the money in the later Roman empire

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Brill's Companion to the Reception of Ancient Rhetoric, 2022

On why training in Classical Rhetoric, i.e. a proper literary education was perceived to be worth... more On why training in Classical Rhetoric, i.e. a proper literary education was perceived to be worth the money in the later Roman empire

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American Journal of Philology, 2018

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American Journal of Philology, 2018

This article examines the performance context of Synesius of Cyrene’s (ca. 370–415 CE) On Kingshi... more This article examines the performance context of Synesius of Cyrene’s
(ca. 370–415 CE) On Kingship. Synesius draws heavily on the classical tradition, and also incorporates many elements of Themistius’ philosophical style into his speech. But the work was not delivered before the emperor, as it purports, and hints at the fictionality of its own dramatic situation. These hints are not mere play but fit very closely the rhetorical needs of the circumstances. The performance appears to have been a success.

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Reflection on the life of Hypatia and her student Synesius in light of the Spring 2017 Hypatia Jo... more Reflection on the life of Hypatia and her student Synesius in light of the Spring 2017 Hypatia Journal controversy. Published in Eidolon July 10, 2017

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A study of self fashioning in the letters of Julian, especially focusing on those written before ... more A study of self fashioning in the letters of Julian, especially focusing on those written before he became sole Roman Emperor and "The Apostate." Delivered April 15, 2017 at Pomona College.

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A study of wasp similes in the Iliad, with help from ancient Homeric commentators. (NB: written a... more A study of wasp similes in the Iliad, with help from ancient Homeric commentators. (NB: written and delivered in Attic Greek)

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Platonism and Christian Thought in Late Antiquity by Alexander Petkas

by Panagiotis G Pavlos, Jordan D Wood, Christina Hoenig, Jonathan Bieler, Enrico Moro, Sebastian Mateiescu, Sébastien Morlet, Alexander Petkas, Adrian C . Pirtea, E. Brown Dewhurst, Joshua Robinson, and Lars Fredrik Janby

The list of participants in the International Workshop in Oslo.

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Talks by Alexander Petkas

The following is a roughly accurate transcript of a talk delivered at the Paideia Living Latin in... more The following is a roughly accurate transcript of a talk delivered at the Paideia Living Latin in New York conference in February 2018. The topic was inspired by the theme of the conference, which was " Education. " Dionysius was a Greek living in the Augustan period who wrote a history of much more ancient periods of Rome, including many discussions of archaic Roman institutions. The aim of the talk was not just to inform and entertain but also to model a simple and accessible style of Attic Greek for contemporary academic contexts. I anticipate and indeed hope that may will find room for improvement on the latter point, and perhaps be inspired to propose their own examples. The video, available on YouTube, also features an explanatory slide show. Special thanks to Luby Kiriakidi who gave generously of her time in helping to subtitle the video. All remaining faults in the Greek are to be attributed exclusively to me. νῦν δὲ, εὐθὺς εἰς τὴν ἀκρόασιν. οὐ σπουδάζουσι πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὴν ἱστορίαν, οὐδ' οἱ πλείονες. οὐ γὰρ ἐστιν ὅστις οὐκ εἰς ὕπνον πέπτωκέ ποτε ἱστορίαν τινά ἀναγιγνώσκων περὶ παλαιῶν βασιλέων καὶ µαχῶν. οὔκουν θαυµαστὸν εἰ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων ἱστοριογράφων τήµερον ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἀµελοῦνται, εἰ µὴ ὑπὸ σχολαστικῶν τινων. ὁµολογοῦσι δὲ οἱ φρόνιµοι τὴν ἱστορίαν παρέχειν ἡµῖν ὠφέλειαν τινά, οὐ µὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡδονὴν, εἴ γε τις ἡδονὴ γίγνεται ἡµῖν παρὰ τραγωδιῶν. τίς γὰρ οὕτω σκληρός ἐστιν ὥστε µὴ ἔλεον αἰσθάνεσθαι ἀκούων Ἡροδότου ἱστοροῦντος τὴν µοίραν τοῦ Κροίσου; ἐκείνος γὰρ βασιλεύς γενόµενος τῶν Λυδῶν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς πλουσιότατος, νοµίζων δὲ ἑαυτὸν εὐδαιµονέστατος εἶναι, ἐσφάλη ὑπ' ἄτης καὶ ὕβρεως, ἀπολέσας οὐ µόνον τὸν φίλτατον υἱὸν ποτὲ ἀλλὰ, τέλος, καὶ τὴν πάσαν βασιλείαν παρὰ Κύρου τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως. ἡ δὲ ναυτικὴ στολή τῶν Ἀθηναίων πρὸς Σικελίαν κινεῖ δάκρυα τῷ ἀναγιγνώσκοντι, ὅτε Θουκυδίδης καταλέγει τὰ πάθη τῶν στρατιωτῶν, ἐντιθεὶς φόβον πολὺν καὶ ἔλεον εἰς τὴν διήγησιν αὐτοῦ. ὡς δὲ λέγει Ἀριστοτέλης, τὰ πάθη (τὸ φοβεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ ἐλεοῦν) ἃ αἰσθανόµεθα ἀκούοντες µύθον τινά, καίπερ αὐτὰ περὶ κακῶν καὶ πικρῶν γιγνόµενα, ποιεῖ ἡδονὴν τρόπον τινά. ἔστι δὲ καὶ πολλὰ γελοῖα ἐν τοῖς ἱστορικοῖς, οὐ γὰρ; οἷον τὸ διήγηµα περὶ Ἱπποκλείδους καὶ τὸ " οὐ φρόντις Ἱπποκλείδῃ " καὶ ὡς οἱ κάµηλοι τοῦ Κύρου ἐνίκησαν τοὺς ἵππους τοῦ Κροίσου. τίς δὲ ὠφέλεια γίγνεται (τίς βοήθεια, τί καλόν γίγνεται) τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας; σαφές ἐστι µὲν ὅτι µέρος τι παιδείας ἐστι, ἀλλὰ τί µέρος, καὶ ποῖον; ἆρα ἐπιστήµη ἐστι τῶν αἰτιῶν δι' ἅς γίγνονται καὶ πράττονται αἱ ἀνθρώπιναι πράξεις (τοῦ λεγοµένου διὰ τί); , οἷον τῆς πολικτικῆς καταστάσεως, ἢ τύχης, τῶν προαιρέσεων τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τῆς γεωγραφίας, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν; ἢ µᾶλλον τοῦτο ὠφελεῖ ἡµᾶς, ὅτι τὰ ἤθη τῶν πραττόντων ἀνθρώπων ὁρῶντες, ἀκριβέστερον διακρίνοµεν τὰς ἀρετάς τε καὶ κακίας, καὶ ἐλπίζοµεν οὕτως τὸν ἠθικὸν χαρακτῆρα τὸν ἡµέτερον ἀµείνω κατεργάσεσθαι; πολλὰ οὖν τοιαῦτα νοήµατα καὶ ἐρωτήµατα ἔχων φιλοσοφεῖν µεθ' ὑµῶν περὶ ἱστορίας, ἀξιῶ ἡµᾶς τήµερον σκέψασθαι ἕνα ἱστορικὸν ἄνδρα, τί νοµίζει αὐτὸς περὶ ταῦτα. οὗτος ἐστιν Διονύσιος ὁ Ἁλικαρνασεύς. ἡ οὖν ὑπόθεσις τῆς ἐµῆς ἀκροάσεως τήµερόν ἐστι, τί µέρος παιδείας ἐστιν ἡ ἱστορία, κατὰ τὸν Διονύσιο; ἢ τί εἶδος παιδείας; οὐ µέντοι κατὰ τύχην, οὐδ' εἰκῇ, προῄρηµαι ἐγὼ ἀκριβῶς τοῦτον τὸν συγγραφέα. µάλιστα γὰρ ἐδόκει µοι εἶναι χρήσιµος ὑµῖν, ἐπειδὴ Ἕλλην ὢν ἐν Ῥώµῃ ἔγραψε ἑλληνιστὶ Ῥωµαία πράγµατα καὶ Ρωµαίων ἱστορίαν, καὶ εὖ οἶδα τοὺς πολλοὺς ὑµῶν τήµερον Ῥωµαίους ὄντας, εἰ γε καὶ φιλέλληνας. Διονύσιος οὖν ἐγεννήθη ὥς γε δοκεῖ, ἐν Ἁλικαρνασσῷ, πόλει τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ πατρίδι τοῦ κλεινοῦ ἱστορικοῦ Ἡροδότου. οὐ πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ βίου αὐτοῦ

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An examination of wasp similes in the Iliad, with help from the Homeric commentators. (NB: Writt... more An examination of wasp similes in the Iliad, with help from the Homeric commentators. (NB: Written and delivered in Attic Greek.)

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Book Reviews by Alexander Petkas

The OUP series Women in Antiquity, which Watts' book is a part of, aims to provide " compact and ... more The OUP series Women in Antiquity, which Watts' book is a part of, aims to provide " compact and accessible introductions " to the life and times its various individul subjects. Watts has accomplished this aim well with his new book. In it, he goes beyond introduction and presents us with a bold new account of this indeed remarkable woman and her achievements. The chief claim of the book is this: we not only do Hypatia (ca. 355–415) a disservice, but more importantly we impoverish our understanding of the late antique world, if we focus on her death at the expense of her life.

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Brill's Companion to the Reception of Ancient Rhetoric, 2021

On why training in Classical Rhetoric, i.e. a proper literary education was perceived to be worth... more On why training in Classical Rhetoric, i.e. a proper literary education was perceived to be worth the money in the later Roman empire

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Brill's Companion to the Reception of Ancient Rhetoric, 2022

On why training in Classical Rhetoric, i.e. a proper literary education was perceived to be worth... more On why training in Classical Rhetoric, i.e. a proper literary education was perceived to be worth the money in the later Roman empire

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American Journal of Philology, 2018

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American Journal of Philology, 2018

This article examines the performance context of Synesius of Cyrene’s (ca. 370–415 CE) On Kingshi... more This article examines the performance context of Synesius of Cyrene’s
(ca. 370–415 CE) On Kingship. Synesius draws heavily on the classical tradition, and also incorporates many elements of Themistius’ philosophical style into his speech. But the work was not delivered before the emperor, as it purports, and hints at the fictionality of its own dramatic situation. These hints are not mere play but fit very closely the rhetorical needs of the circumstances. The performance appears to have been a success.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Reflection on the life of Hypatia and her student Synesius in light of the Spring 2017 Hypatia Jo... more Reflection on the life of Hypatia and her student Synesius in light of the Spring 2017 Hypatia Journal controversy. Published in Eidolon July 10, 2017

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A study of self fashioning in the letters of Julian, especially focusing on those written before ... more A study of self fashioning in the letters of Julian, especially focusing on those written before he became sole Roman Emperor and "The Apostate." Delivered April 15, 2017 at Pomona College.

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A study of wasp similes in the Iliad, with help from ancient Homeric commentators. (NB: written a... more A study of wasp similes in the Iliad, with help from ancient Homeric commentators. (NB: written and delivered in Attic Greek)

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by Panagiotis G Pavlos, Jordan D Wood, Christina Hoenig, Jonathan Bieler, Enrico Moro, Sebastian Mateiescu, Sébastien Morlet, Alexander Petkas, Adrian C . Pirtea, E. Brown Dewhurst, Joshua Robinson, and Lars Fredrik Janby

The list of participants in the International Workshop in Oslo.

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The following is a roughly accurate transcript of a talk delivered at the Paideia Living Latin in... more The following is a roughly accurate transcript of a talk delivered at the Paideia Living Latin in New York conference in February 2018. The topic was inspired by the theme of the conference, which was " Education. " Dionysius was a Greek living in the Augustan period who wrote a history of much more ancient periods of Rome, including many discussions of archaic Roman institutions. The aim of the talk was not just to inform and entertain but also to model a simple and accessible style of Attic Greek for contemporary academic contexts. I anticipate and indeed hope that may will find room for improvement on the latter point, and perhaps be inspired to propose their own examples. The video, available on YouTube, also features an explanatory slide show. Special thanks to Luby Kiriakidi who gave generously of her time in helping to subtitle the video. All remaining faults in the Greek are to be attributed exclusively to me. νῦν δὲ, εὐθὺς εἰς τὴν ἀκρόασιν. οὐ σπουδάζουσι πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὴν ἱστορίαν, οὐδ' οἱ πλείονες. οὐ γὰρ ἐστιν ὅστις οὐκ εἰς ὕπνον πέπτωκέ ποτε ἱστορίαν τινά ἀναγιγνώσκων περὶ παλαιῶν βασιλέων καὶ µαχῶν. οὔκουν θαυµαστὸν εἰ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων ἱστοριογράφων τήµερον ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἀµελοῦνται, εἰ µὴ ὑπὸ σχολαστικῶν τινων. ὁµολογοῦσι δὲ οἱ φρόνιµοι τὴν ἱστορίαν παρέχειν ἡµῖν ὠφέλειαν τινά, οὐ µὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡδονὴν, εἴ γε τις ἡδονὴ γίγνεται ἡµῖν παρὰ τραγωδιῶν. τίς γὰρ οὕτω σκληρός ἐστιν ὥστε µὴ ἔλεον αἰσθάνεσθαι ἀκούων Ἡροδότου ἱστοροῦντος τὴν µοίραν τοῦ Κροίσου; ἐκείνος γὰρ βασιλεύς γενόµενος τῶν Λυδῶν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς πλουσιότατος, νοµίζων δὲ ἑαυτὸν εὐδαιµονέστατος εἶναι, ἐσφάλη ὑπ' ἄτης καὶ ὕβρεως, ἀπολέσας οὐ µόνον τὸν φίλτατον υἱὸν ποτὲ ἀλλὰ, τέλος, καὶ τὴν πάσαν βασιλείαν παρὰ Κύρου τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως. ἡ δὲ ναυτικὴ στολή τῶν Ἀθηναίων πρὸς Σικελίαν κινεῖ δάκρυα τῷ ἀναγιγνώσκοντι, ὅτε Θουκυδίδης καταλέγει τὰ πάθη τῶν στρατιωτῶν, ἐντιθεὶς φόβον πολὺν καὶ ἔλεον εἰς τὴν διήγησιν αὐτοῦ. ὡς δὲ λέγει Ἀριστοτέλης, τὰ πάθη (τὸ φοβεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ ἐλεοῦν) ἃ αἰσθανόµεθα ἀκούοντες µύθον τινά, καίπερ αὐτὰ περὶ κακῶν καὶ πικρῶν γιγνόµενα, ποιεῖ ἡδονὴν τρόπον τινά. ἔστι δὲ καὶ πολλὰ γελοῖα ἐν τοῖς ἱστορικοῖς, οὐ γὰρ; οἷον τὸ διήγηµα περὶ Ἱπποκλείδους καὶ τὸ " οὐ φρόντις Ἱπποκλείδῃ " καὶ ὡς οἱ κάµηλοι τοῦ Κύρου ἐνίκησαν τοὺς ἵππους τοῦ Κροίσου. τίς δὲ ὠφέλεια γίγνεται (τίς βοήθεια, τί καλόν γίγνεται) τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας; σαφές ἐστι µὲν ὅτι µέρος τι παιδείας ἐστι, ἀλλὰ τί µέρος, καὶ ποῖον; ἆρα ἐπιστήµη ἐστι τῶν αἰτιῶν δι' ἅς γίγνονται καὶ πράττονται αἱ ἀνθρώπιναι πράξεις (τοῦ λεγοµένου διὰ τί); , οἷον τῆς πολικτικῆς καταστάσεως, ἢ τύχης, τῶν προαιρέσεων τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τῆς γεωγραφίας, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν; ἢ µᾶλλον τοῦτο ὠφελεῖ ἡµᾶς, ὅτι τὰ ἤθη τῶν πραττόντων ἀνθρώπων ὁρῶντες, ἀκριβέστερον διακρίνοµεν τὰς ἀρετάς τε καὶ κακίας, καὶ ἐλπίζοµεν οὕτως τὸν ἠθικὸν χαρακτῆρα τὸν ἡµέτερον ἀµείνω κατεργάσεσθαι; πολλὰ οὖν τοιαῦτα νοήµατα καὶ ἐρωτήµατα ἔχων φιλοσοφεῖν µεθ' ὑµῶν περὶ ἱστορίας, ἀξιῶ ἡµᾶς τήµερον σκέψασθαι ἕνα ἱστορικὸν ἄνδρα, τί νοµίζει αὐτὸς περὶ ταῦτα. οὗτος ἐστιν Διονύσιος ὁ Ἁλικαρνασεύς. ἡ οὖν ὑπόθεσις τῆς ἐµῆς ἀκροάσεως τήµερόν ἐστι, τί µέρος παιδείας ἐστιν ἡ ἱστορία, κατὰ τὸν Διονύσιο; ἢ τί εἶδος παιδείας; οὐ µέντοι κατὰ τύχην, οὐδ' εἰκῇ, προῄρηµαι ἐγὼ ἀκριβῶς τοῦτον τὸν συγγραφέα. µάλιστα γὰρ ἐδόκει µοι εἶναι χρήσιµος ὑµῖν, ἐπειδὴ Ἕλλην ὢν ἐν Ῥώµῃ ἔγραψε ἑλληνιστὶ Ῥωµαία πράγµατα καὶ Ρωµαίων ἱστορίαν, καὶ εὖ οἶδα τοὺς πολλοὺς ὑµῶν τήµερον Ῥωµαίους ὄντας, εἰ γε καὶ φιλέλληνας. Διονύσιος οὖν ἐγεννήθη ὥς γε δοκεῖ, ἐν Ἁλικαρνασσῷ, πόλει τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ πατρίδι τοῦ κλεινοῦ ἱστορικοῦ Ἡροδότου. οὐ πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ βίου αὐτοῦ

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An examination of wasp similes in the Iliad, with help from the Homeric commentators. (NB: Writt... more An examination of wasp similes in the Iliad, with help from the Homeric commentators. (NB: Written and delivered in Attic Greek.)

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The OUP series Women in Antiquity, which Watts' book is a part of, aims to provide " compact and ... more The OUP series Women in Antiquity, which Watts' book is a part of, aims to provide " compact and accessible introductions " to the life and times its various individul subjects. Watts has accomplished this aim well with his new book. In it, he goes beyond introduction and presents us with a bold new account of this indeed remarkable woman and her achievements. The chief claim of the book is this: we not only do Hypatia (ca. 355–415) a disservice, but more importantly we impoverish our understanding of the late antique world, if we focus on her death at the expense of her life.

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