Scrittore epicureo anonimo
Index Epicureorum
Edizione, traduzione e commento
Leiden/Boston, Brill 2025
P.Herc. 1780, the so-called Index Epicureorum attributed to Philodemus, stands out as a real puzzle among the Herculaneum papyri. It is fragmentary, tricky, with scattered words that do not help understand what text it is about. We find mentions of Epicurus and his school (the Kepos, i.e. ‘the Garden’), but no references to his philosophy: instead, together with the names of some of the Master’s pupils and of unknown people, we find references to testaments as well as to everyday life, for instance to monetary affairs. This new edition offers the first complete transcription of all readable material, together with an introduction and a commentary suggesting a new interpretation of this enigmatic text.
