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Document Details : Title: Continuants in Homeric Meter and the Original Reading of Odyssey 4.388 (P.Mich. inv. 3390 + 7169) Author(s): NASH, Theodore M.S. Journal: Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists Volume: 62 Date: 2025 Pages: 9-24 DOI: 10.2143/BASP.62.0.3294674 Abstract : P.Mich. inv. 7169 is a small, L-shaped piece of papyrus preserving parts of Odyssey 4.380-390. It is a joining piece of the same book-roll as P.Mich. inv. 3390, which was previously published on its own. They are now presented in a single edition for the first time, and together preserve portions of Odyssey 4.355-390. The chief textual interest of the papyrus is the preservation of the reading τὸν εἴ at the beginning of 4.388. This variant is attested in multiple manuscripts and the indirect tradition, which excludes the possibility of a scribal error here. Hitherto it has been rejected because it seems to violate the hexameter by starting a line with a short syllable. I will argue, however, that it can and should be read metrically, based on the complicated metrical behavior of continuant consonants in early Greek poetry. This metrical defense, coupled with explicit papyrological evidence and its wide attestation, makes a strong case that τὸν εἴ should be accepted as the true reading of the verse. Further parallels will also be adduced, including other cases where scribes have attempted to fix 'deficient' meter. |
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