The ms. Venezia, BNM, Marc. Gr. Z. 453 (821) provides the Iliad text (from 12 to 24 lines per page, often 12, 20, or 24: in f. 67r, they are 24), with a scholiastic apparatus, that mainly pertains to the class of the exegetica, but also includes VMK. In this ms. the scholia are structured in a frame that, in the most crowded pages, occupies the upper, external, and lower margins. All along the ms., the scholia are connected to the relevant passage of the poetic text thanks to a number sequence, which starts from α΄ at the beginning of each verso and continues till the end of the corresponding recto: in the example here presented, which is a recto, the numbering of the scholia starts from ι΄. The scholia normally match, in their arrangement, the succession of the Homeric lines to which they refer. Only in exceptional cases, scholia connected to the literary text through symbols are interposed by the first hand among those with the number system, often not in keeping with the sequence of the Homeric text (cf. Maniaci 2006, 287 ff.). The additions made by subsequent hands are connected to the text thanks to symbols and generally appear as close as possible to the line where the commented part is to be found, regardless of whether this causes a sequence of scholia which is not consistent with that of the literary text. No lemma is present. Each scholion systematically ends with the sign commonly used to mark the conclusion of a scholiastic annotation, i.e. a dicolon followed by a dash. In f. 67r, as usual in this ms., the scholia mostly belong to the exegetical class (written in blue in the transcription), but some of them are traced back to the VMK-scholia (in red in the transcription); a later hand added D-scholia (in violet in the transcription), and another one a gloss in the internal margin (in brown in the transcription).

Upper margin

Sch. Nic. | ex. Il. 5.211b; Sch. ex. Il. 5.211c Erbse

This ms. display, as a single scholion numbered ι΄, a sequence that put together Sch. Nic. | ex. Il. 5.211b Erbse and Sch. ex. Il. 5.211c. The first scholion begins with a remark traced back to VMK, and specifically to its component ascribable to the Alexandrian grammarian Nicanor (1st-2nd c. AD; cf. Matthaios 2020, 311-312, 332-333, with bibl.): it states that ἡγεόμην Τρώεσσι (“I led the Trojans”) must be kept separate from φέρων χάριν Ἕκτορι δίῳ (“to do pleasure to divine Hector”): the verb ἡγεόμην thus governs the dative Τρώεσσι, whereas the dative Ἕκτορι δίῳ is connected with the expression φέρων χάριν (cf. Friedländer 1850, 9, 182). There follows a rephrase of the text replacing ἡγεόμην with the contracted ἡγούμην, and Τρώεσσιν with the genitive Τρώων, which eliminates syntactic ambiguity and corresponds to the case with which the verb is usually constructed in classical Greek: cf. Sch. Ariston. Il. 5.211a1 Erbse: ἡγεόμην Τρώεσσι <φέρων χάριν Ἕκτορι δίῳ>: ὅτι A ἀντὶ τοῦ Τρώων AAil κτλ., “I led the Trojans <to do pleasure to divine Hector>: (sc. there is a diple) because it (sc. Τρώεσσι) is instead of Τρώων, etc.” (cf. Erbse 1969-1988, 2, 33, app. ad loc.; Matthaios 1999, 92); Sch. D Il. 5.211/Zs van Thiel: ἡγεόμην Τρώεσσι: ἡγούμην Τρώων. ZYQX. Besides, the copyist of the Venetus B actually draws an ano stigme after the word ʽTrojansʼ in the rephrase of the text, thus giving concrete evidence to Nicanor’s recommendation.

The scholion then continues adding material of the exegetical class, connected with the previous part through a δέ. This section argues that Τρώεσσι possibly has three different meanings: either it indicates in general terms all the Trojans, or the men under Hector’s command, or even the inhabitants of Zeleia, of whom Pandarus was the leader; each option is exemplified thanks to a citation from the Iliad, 6.1, 2.816, 2.826 respectively (the Townleianus and the Venetus A report a wider version of the latter parallel, which includes 2.824 and 827 too).

Another δέ introduces the objection according to which some scholars denied that the inhabitants of Zeleia were Trojans (Sch. ex. Il. 5.211c Erbse), without mentioning any further motivation. This belief possibly arose because, although the Zeleian are said to be Trojans at Il. 2.824-827 and 5.200, however at Il. 5.105 and 173 their leader Pandarus turns out to come from Lycia (but the correspondence with the homonymous region in S-W Asia Minor is now deemed to be unlikely: cf. Kirk 1985, 253-254; Kirk 1990, 65-66, 81; Brügger – Stoevesandt – Visser 2010, 270-271; Coray – Krieter-Spiro – Viesser 2017, 49-50, 54-56). These anonymous scholars understood Ἕκτορι as an equivalent of δι᾿ Ἕκτορα: “I was commander to do pleasure to the Trojans because of divine Hector”; the corresponding scholion in the Townleianus (which quotes Il. 5.875 as a comparison: σοὶ πάντες μαχόμεσθα) rejects this exegesis (οὐκ εὖ). Sch. Ariston. Il. 5.211a1 Erbse (cfr. 211a2) addresses this topic also testifying an attempt to correct the text: […] ἀντὶ τοῦ Τρώων AAil τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν Ἴδην, χαριζόμενος δὲ τῷ Ἕκτορι. τινὲς δὲ ἀγνοοῦντες ὅτι λέγονται καὶ οἱ ὑπὸ Πάνδαρον Τρῶες, μεταγράφουσι “Τρώεσσι φέρων χάριν ἱπποδάμοισιν”. A, “[…] instead of Τρώων, those under the Ida, to please Hector. However, some (sc. scholars), ignoring that the men under Pandarus’ command are also Trojans, alter the text: ʽto do pleasure to the horse-taming Trojansʼ” (cf. Ludwich 1884-1885, 1, 254; van Thiel 2014, 1, 427-428; Schironi 2018, 302).

Sch. ex. Il. 5.216a Erbse

This scholion (numbered ια΄) makes an observation that combines prosody and style (cf. Nünlist 2009, 217): Homer used διακλάσσας with double sigma, instead of the standard form with only one sigma, to imitate the sound of the bow smashing (on the concept of imitation in ancient Greek scholarship cf. Nünlist 2015, 735-736 s.v. Mimêsis).

External margin

Sch. ex. Il. 5.216b2 Erbse

This scholion (numbered ιβ΄) comments on the adjective ἀνεμώλια, referred to τόξα, which means ‘windy’, but is always used metaphorically by Homer, ‘in vain’ (< ephemeral and transient like the wind; cf. Sch. D Il. 5.216/Zs van Thiel ἀνεμώλια: μάταια. ZYQX). Firstly the annotation tries to illustrate the meaning of this word appealing to the idea of an object which ought to be broken by wind. Secondly it looks for a comparison in the representation of the harpies carrying off Odysseus (Od. 1.241: ἅρπυιαι ἀνηρείψαντο), an image which however implies disappearance and is inadequate (cf. Kirk 1990, 82); ἅρπυιαι, moreover, is explained as θύελλαι (cf. the analogous expression in Od. 4.727: ἀνηρείψαντο θύελλαι), a gloss which is absent in the Townleianus version of this scholion. For the description of the harpies as wind demons and the association between them and storms see e. g. Sch. V Od. 1.241b1 Pontani (cf. b2, b3): Ἅρπυιαι: δαίμονες ἢ ἄνεμοι ἁρπακτικοί, HM1NTVY κτλ., “Harpies: demons or rapacious winds, etc.”. Finally the scholion offers another explanation for ἅρπυιαι in the quoted passage, which, however, is transmitted in a partially corrupt form (ἄνεμοι †νειφώδεις, for which Villoison suggested νιφώδεις (“[winds] bringing snow”) and Erbse νεφώδεις (“[winds] bringing clouds”) (Erbse 1969-1988, 2, 34, app. ad loc.).

Sch. ex. (?) | Hrd. Il. 5.219b Erbse

This scholion (numbered ιγ΄) is made up of two parts, the former possibly assigned to the exegetical class, the latter to the VMK class, and precisely to its component that originates from the work of the Alexandrian grammarian Herodian (2nd c. AD; cf. Matthaios 2020, 337-340, with bibl.). The comment firstly makes it explicit that ἐπί is constructed with the dative τῷδ᾿ ἀνδρί (which is paraphrased as τῷδε τῷ ἀνδρί) and not with the accusative νώ; the scholion in the Townleianus makes the correct syntax more evident by also connecting πρίν with νώ. Cf. Sch. D Il. 5.219/Zs van Thiel: πρίν γ’ ἐπὶ νὼϊ τῷδ’ ἀνδρί: πρὶν ἢ ἡμᾶς κατὰ τοῦδε τοῦ ἀνδρός. ZYQAtiG, “Until the two of us on this man: until we against this man”. The second part of the scholion notes that νώ, the dual accusative of the pronoun ἐγώ, appears only here in the Iliad and once in the Odyssey (the characteristic epic form is νώι: e. g. Il. 5.224; cf. Kirk 1990, 82-83). The Townleianus version of the scholion preserves also the quotation of the Odyssey passage (Od. 15.475: νὼ ἀναβησάμενοι), which is lacking in the Venetus B. Sch. Hrd. Il. 5.219a Erbse provides a more extensive discussion: {πρίν γ’ ἐπὶ} νώ: τὸ νώ βαρυτονητέον. ἅπαξ δὲ ἐν Ἰλιάδι, καὶ ἅπαξ ἐν Ὀδυσσείᾳ (Od. 15.475) ἐχρήσατο κατ’ αἰτιατικὴν πτῶσιν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐνθάδε, “νὼ ἀναβησάμενοι”. ὁπότε μέντοι γε σὺν τῷ ι λέγεται, καὶ ἐπ’ εὐθείας αὐτὸ τάσσει καὶ ἐπ’ αἰτιατικῆς καὶ προπερισπᾶται· “νῶϊ δ’ ἐγὼ Σθένελός τε” (Il. 9.48) καὶ “οὐδ’ ἂν νῶϊ διαδράκοι ἠέλιός περ” (Il. 14.344) κτλ. A, “{Before} the two of us on: νώ must be pronounced with a grave accent. It occurs only once in the Iliad, and only once did he (sc. the Poet) use it in the Odyssey in the accusative, as also here, “having embarked the two of us (sc. Eumaeus and the Phoenician nurse)”. When it is spelled with iota, indeed, he (sc. the Poet) uses it both in the nominative and accusative, and it receives the circumflex accent in the penultimate syllable: “the two of us, I (sc. Diomedes) and Sthenelus”, and “not even the Sun might discern the two of us (sc. Zeus and Hera)” etc. (cf. Lentz 1867, 49, 18; Erbse 1969-1988, 2, 34 app. ad loc.; van Thiel 2014, 1, 429).

Sch. ex. Il. 5.222a Erbse; Sch. D Il. 5.222 van Thiel

Here a scholion of the exegetical class (numbered ιδ΄), by the first hand, has been supplemented by a later hand through the addition of a portion of the corresponding D-scholion. The disjunctive ἤ at the beginning of the expansion has been written over the pre-existing symbol that marked the end of the first-hand scholion.

The topic is the meaning of Τρώϊοι, an adjective referred to ἵπποι: according to the exegetical scholion, it designates horses which are said to be generically Trojan, unless one takes it in connection with the horses of the ancient king of Ilium Tros. The tradition of the D-scholia preserves here a fuller note in comparison with that added by the later hand in ms. B: at first it reports the option “horses born from those of Tros”, then it introduces (through the disjunctive ἤ) the alternative possibility that they are the very horses given to Tros as a repayment for the rape of Ganymedes by Zeus (cf. Il. 5.265-272; Kirk 1990, 83) (Sch. D Il. 5.222/Zs van Thiel: Τρώϊοι. ἀπόγονοι τῶν Τρωὸς ἵππων. ἢ οἱ τῷ Τρωῒ χεχαρισμένοι, ἀντὶ τῆς ἁρπαγῆς Γανυμήδους. ZYQXImG). The later hand of B copies only the latter part of the D-scholion, clearly perceiving the former as already mentioned by the first-hand scholion.

Sch. ex. Il. 5.223a Erbse

This scholion (numbered ιε΄) observes that Aeneas concisely describes the qualities of his horses as they are already known to his interlocutor Pandarus; Diomedes, on the contrary, weaves a more extensive praise of these outstanding animals so that his charioteer Sthenelus does not underestimate their value overlooking his request to plunder them (see Il. 5.263-273).

Sch. D Il. 5.226 van Thiel

This scholion, inserted by the same later hand responsible for the addition of Sch. D Il. 5.222 (see supra), contains D material as well, and precisely a slightly reduced version of Sch. D Il. 5.226/Zs+Ys van Thiel (σιγαλόεντα: ἤτοι εὐδιάσειστα, ἢ | λαμπρὰ καὶ ποικίλα (= Ati) τῇ κατασκευῇ, ZYQXAi~G. | ἢ τὰ μεγάλως καὶ ποικίλως κατεσκευασμένα. τὰ θαυμαστὰ | καὶ σιωπὴν ἐκ τοῦ θαύματος ἐντιθέμενα (= Ii), οἱονεὶ σιγαλόεντά τινα ὄντα. YQXA~G, “σιγαλόεντα: either easy to shake, or bright and many-coloured as for their manufacture. Or mightily equipped and with embroidery in various colors. Wonderful and inspiring silence from wonder, as if they were glittering things”). The scholion is connected to the relevant word in the literary text through a symbol, which has been schematically reproduced in the transcription. The later hand inserted this scholion in the gap between the scholia numbered ιε΄ and ιϛ΄, even if, in order to match the sequence of the Iliad text, it should appear after ιϛ΄, where the space is more than enough to host this addition: however the aim of this hand was clearly not to preserve the consistency between the order of the scholia and that of the literary text, but to keep the note as close as possible to the text to which it refers (see infra for a further example).

This annotation aims to explain σιγαλόεντα, an adjective related to ἡνία, by means of three solutions referring to: 1) the handling of the reins; 2) their brilliance and colorfulness; 3) the exceptional manufacture of the product, which astounds and arouses silence in those who see it. The D-scholion, using the word σιωπή for “silence”, did not realize the paretymology implied by the last interpretation, which is on the contrary made clear in Sch. ex. Il. 5.226-227 (present only in the Townleianus): σιγαλόεντα δὲ τὰ σῖγα ἁλλόμενα (“σιγαλόεντα [sc. the reins] that leap in silence”).

Sch. ex. Il. 5.224b Erbse

This scholion (numbered ιϛ΄) considers it plausible (on this concept in ancient Greek scholarship cf. Nünlist 2015, 741 s. v. Persuasiveness (pithanotês), 742-743 s. v. Plausibility (or Probability)) that Aeneas, boasting of the speed of his horses, is then deprived of them, and moreover plans to flee even before attacking. The concept of credibility or verisimilitude in poetry, which is one of the most frequent in the scholia, ultimately derives from Aristotle; this notion usually acts as a criterion for assessing the literary quality of a text, or as a tool for the philological evaluation of the authenticity of a passage. Here a moralistic conception can also be traceable, in that an arrogant character is punished with a loss (cf. Nünlist 2009, 13 n. 47). Diomedes behaves in the opposite way as compared to Aeneas: he rejects the hypothesis of escaping from the battle, an option suggested to him by Sthenelus, and puts the heroic code first (see Il. 5.250 ff.). That Homer sided with the Achaeans is a fairly widespread idea in the scholia exegetica, which often credits the poet with blaming the faults and vices of the Trojans, as well as with celebrating the abilities and virtues of the Greeks (on this topic cf. van der Valk 1963-1964, 1, 474-479; Nünlist 2009, 13; Schmidt 2011, 123-137); such a view might be implied also by this scholion.

Sch. ex. Il. 5.226-227 Erbse

This scholion (numbered ιζ΄) makes it explicit that Aeneas, urging Pandarus to take the reins of the horses, means that he should receive them from the charioteer.

Sch. D Il. 5.233 van Thiel

This sholion, introduced by the same later hand responsible for the addition of Sch. D Il. 5.222 and Sch. D Il. 5.226 (see supra), contains D material (cf. Sch. D Il. 5.233/Zs van Thiel: ματήσετον: ματαιοπραγήσωσιν, | ματαίαν ἔχωσι τὴν προθυμίαν (= Tr). ZYQXG. Ati μάτην τι πράξωσι, “they (sc. the horses) will [not] be idle: act in vain, have a vain willingness. Do something vainly”; cf. Kirk 1990, 84). The scholion is connected to the relevant word in the literary text through a symbol, which has been schematically reproduced in the transcription; also in this case, the position of the scholion in the frame does not match the sequence of the literary text (according to which it should appear at the bottom of this page, after κ΄), but is plausibly aimed at keeping it next to the line to which it refers.

Lower margin

Sch. Did. Il. 5.227a3 Erbse

This VMK scholion (numbered ιη΄) displays material ultimately drawn from the work of the Alexandrian grammarian Didymus (sc. Chalcenterus, 1st c. BC-1st c. AD; cf. Montana 2020, 246-253, with bibl.) and addresses an issue of constitutio textus. It attributes to Zenodotus of Ephesus, the first director of the library of Alexandria (4th-3rd c. BC; cf. Montana 2020, 176-179, with bibl.), the reading ἐπιβήσομαι (“I will mount”), instead of ἀποβήσομαι (“I will dismount”), which is the standard form in the manuscript tradition of the Iliad (see Allen’s and West’s editions), as well as the reading present in the text of the poem in the Venetus B; ἀποβήσομαι was also adopted by Aristarchus of Samothrace (see infra), whose work represents the culmination of the season of scholarly studies developed in Alexandria in the Hellenistic age (2nd c. BC; cf. Montana 2020, 204-217, with bibl.). Zenodotus could either have found ἐπιβήσομαι in his copy of the poem, or corrected the text by comparing other manuscripts or through an emendation ope ingenii (on the material aspect of Zenodotus’ edition of the Iliad cf. Montanari 2022, with bibl.; for wider studies on Zenodotus’ method see Nickau 1977 and Le Feuvre 2022). Then the scholion quotes the second half of l. 239: ἐς (codd. Il.: εἰς sch.) ἅρματα ποικίλα βάντες (“mounting upon the many-coloured chariot”), that shows Aeneas and Pandarus, at the end of the dialogue, getting on the chariot to reach and fight Diomedes. It is not easy to ascertain whether this citation belongs to Zenodotus, as a support for his text, or to a later scholar, who may have tried to explain the reasons for Zenodotus’ text, or even, as van Thiel 2014, 1, 430 maintains, to propose an objection to it. The quotation is not recorded in the Venetus A corresponding scholion, which instead gives detailed information about Aristarchus’ position: Sch. Did. Il. 5.227a1 Erbse (cfr. 227a2): ἐγὼ δ’ ἵππων ἀποβήσομαι: Ἀρίσταρχος. ἀποβήσομαι δὲ ἵππων ἔφη, οἷον τῆς τῶν ἵππων φροντίδος· ἐπιφέρει γοῦν “ἠὲ σὺ τόνδε δέδεξο” (Il. 5.228), τὸν Διομήδη. Ζηνοδότ<ε>ιος δὲ ἡ διὰ τοῦ ε, “ἐπιβήσομαι”. A, “I will dismount the horses: Aristarchus. He (sc. the Poet) said “I will dismount (ἀποβήσομαι) the horses”, as if it was ʽ(I will stop) taking care of the horsesʼ: he adds, indeed, “or you withstand him, i.e. Diomedes, steadfastly”. To the contrary the reading with epsilon, “I will mount” (ἐπιβήσομαι), is of Zenodotus”.

Finally our scholion argues that, if one reads ἀποβήσομαι, it means that Aeneas, after handing over the reins to Pandarus, will stop taking care of the horses, because he must concern himself with Diomedes, but not apparently that he will get out of the chariot; as the comparison with the scholion in the Venetus A demonstrates, this peculiar and untenable interpretation was held by Aristarchus (cf. Düntzer 1848, 122; Naber 1877, 111-112; Ludwich 1884-1885, 1, 254; van Thiel 2014, 1, 430).

On the whole, Zenodotus’ solution appears to be prompted by the conviction that the verb denotes an immediate action, whereas the Homeric character is referring to the war strategy to be adopted in the clash with Diomedes: Aeneas and Pandarus set off in the chariot in the direction of the enemy and, then, Pandarus dismounts to confront him, while Aeneas, at least at first, remains on the vehicle (cf. Kirk 1990, 83-84). We can find a parallel to the expression under consideration, with ἀποβήσομαι meaning “I will dismount”, at Il. 17.479-480: ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν μάστιγα καὶ ἡνία σιγαλόεντα / δέξαι, ἐγὼ δ’ ἵππων ἀποβήσομαι, ὄφρα μάχωμαι (the scholia ad loc. bear no trace of an ancient discussion about the textual arrangement of this passage; the manuscript tradition also witnesses, as a minority variant reading, ἐπιβήσομαι); this is a similar episode involving Automedon and Alcimedon (ll. 459 ff.), where, however, Automedon actually gets off the chariot immediately to fight the Trojans and gets back on it at the end of the clash.

Sch. ex. Il. 5.231c Erbse

This scholion (numbered ιθ΄) considers it specious Pandarus’ try of entrusting the driving of the chariot to Aeneas. It attempts to corroborate this judgement by drawing a comparison with Hector and his charioteer Cebriones, which, however, appears to be defective in the way it is conveyed: the annotation alludes to the appointment of a new charioteer after Cebriones’ death (Il. 16.733-782), but this event is nowhere to be found; Hector, furthermore, does not seem to be the proper subject of the action expressed by the verb δίδωσιν. Therefore Erbse proposes in the apparatus, albeit dubitanter, a solution that refers to the episode in book eight when Hector replaces the charioteer Archeptolemus, killed by Teucer, with Cebriones: “fort. κεβριόνην ἀποθανόντος ἀρχεπτολέμου (cf. Θ 312-9) ἕκτορι (ἕκτ. ci. Ma.) δίδωσι (sc. poeta)” (Erbse 1969-1988, 2, 37, ad loc.). The scholion goes on noting that, during the funeral games in honour of Patroclus, Diomedes competes with the horses he had plundered from Aeneas (Il. 23.290-292), just as Menelaus also hitches a mare of his brother Agamemnon to his chariot (Il. 23.293-295): this observation demonstrates that Diomedes, unlike Pandarus, is able to drive Aeneas’ horses and that, in general, Achaean heroes know how to drive horses that are not their own, as Menelaus too does, despite not being professional charioteers.

Sch. ex. Il. 5.233b Erbse

This scholion (numbered κ΄) remarks, with a tone of reproach, that Pandarus does not foretell anything propitious: he fears that the animals, in the event of a retreat, will stop frightened and refuse to carry them to safety unless governed by Aeneas. The annotation next quotes a passage from the oration On the Crown by Demosthenes, as a counterpoint to the cowardice of Pandarus, which urges valiant men to undertake all kinds of honourable actions, and to accept whatever fate befalls them.

Internal margin

Sch. Il. (rec.) 5.230

A later copyist glosses ἔχ’ (ἡνία) (“hold the reins”) with ἔλαυνε (“drive”), a reading note which finds a parallel in the etymological tradition (cf. EGud. p. 575, 21 de Stefani, s.v. ἔχω: […] ἔχω, τὸ ἐλαύνω, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἔχειν, τὸ ἐλαύνειν, καὶ εἴχετο ὁμοίως· κτλ.). This note has been written in the internal margin, near the line containing the explained word: the connection between the literary text and the remark is assured by a symbol, which has been schematically reproduced in the transcription.