DOI: 10.53084/22209050_2021_23_171

V.V. Zeltchenko
Philogelos 1: A Note to a Joke

Abstract: Defending Philogelos 1 from the radical reinterpretation offered by E.M. Felice, the author emphasizes the point left overlooked by the commentators: scholasticus in search of a lamp comes to a silversmith. Meanwhile, Greek and Roman silver lamps known to the archaeologists are remarkably few, and so are their mentions by the ancient authors: evidently, their use was very limited. This supplementary touch gives to scholasticus the traits of a naïve and arrogant nouveau riche: he orders a precious rarity and at the same time does not understand how it works.

Keywords: Greek literature, ancient Greek jokes, Philogelos, lamps, lychnology.

To cite this article: Zeltchenko V.V. Philogelos 1: A Note to a Joke. Aristeas XXIII (2021): 171–175.

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Author:

Vsevolod.V. Zeltchenko