Aratus of Soli was a third century BC didactic poet at the court of Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia, where he wrote his famous astronomical poem ‘Phaenomena’ (Appearances). It describes the constellations and other celestial phenomena, while the latter section is chiefly concerned with weather lore. Aratus’ poem was extremely popular both in the Greek and Roman world, as demonstrated by the large number of commentaries and Latin translations. He enjoyed immense prestige among Hellenistic poets, including Theocritus, Callimachus and Leonidas of Tarentum. This assessment was passed on to the Latin writers, notably influencing Ovid, Virgil and Cicero. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Greek texts. This comprehensive eBook presents Aratus’ complete extant works, with illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Aratus’ life and works * Features the complete extant works of Aratus, in both English translation and the original Greek * Concise introduction to the text * Provides both verse (John Lamb, 1848) and prose (G. R. Mair, 1921) translations of ‘Phaenomena’ * Includes Mair’s translation, previously appearing in the Loeb Classical Library edition of Aratus * Excellent formatting of the texts * Easily locate the sections you want to read with individual contents tables * Provides a special dual English and Greek text, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph — ideal for students * Features a bonus biography — discover Aratus’ ancient world Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to explore our range of Ancient Classics titles or buy the entire series as a Super Set CONTENTS: The Translations Appearances The Greek Text The Greek Text The Dual Text Dual Greek and English Text The Biography The Life of Aratus (1848) by John Lamb Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles
Aratus of Soli was a third century BC didactic poet at the court of Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia, where he wrote his famous astronomical poem ‘Phaenomena’ (Appearances). It describes the constellations and other celestial phenomena, while the latter section is chiefly concerned with weather lore. Aratus’ poem was extremely popular both in the Greek and Roman world, as demonstrated by the large number of commentaries and Latin translations. He enjoyed immense prestige among Hellenistic poets, including Theocritus, Callimachus and Leonidas of Tarentum. This assessment was passed on to the Latin writers, notably influencing Ovid, Virgil and Cicero. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Greek texts. This comprehensive eBook presents Aratus’ complete extant works, with illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Aratus’ life and works * Features the complete extant works of Aratus, in both English translation and the original Greek * Concise introduction to the text * Provides both verse (John Lamb, 1848) and prose (G. R. Mair, 1921) translations of ‘Phaenomena’ * Includes Mair’s translation, previously appearing in the Loeb Classical Library edition of Aratus * Excellent formatting of the texts * Easily locate the sections you want to read with individual contents tables * Provides a special dual English and Greek text, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph — ideal for students * Features a bonus biography — discover Aratus’ ancient world Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to explore our range of Ancient Classics titles or buy the entire series as a Super Set CONTENTS: The Translations Appearances The Greek Text The Greek Text The Dual Text Dual Greek and English Text The Biography The Life of Aratus (1848) by John Lamb Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles
The Phaenomena is a didactic epic poem modelled on Hesiod's Works and Days and cleverly updated to appeal to contemporary readers interested in new trends in Greek poetry, philosophy and science. Aratus invokes a beneficent Stoic Zeus who has created the constellations and their movements to help men follow the progress of the solar year, and also provides a great variety of signs in sky, air, earth and sea as warnings of weather changes." "This volume presents for the first time in English an edition of the poem with a full introduction, a facing translation and a line by line commentary. The introduction explains the literary and scientific background, the characteristic features of Aratus' language, style and metre, and the transmission of the text to the end of the Middle Ages. The commentary gives help with the content of the poem and aims to discuss and resolve the many problems of text and interpretation caused by Aratus' innovative use of language. The text is based on a new reading of the MSS, including one not used before."--BOOK JACKET.
After the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Phaenomena was the most widely read poem in the ancient world. Its fame was immediate. It was translated into Latin by Ovid and Cicero and quoted by St. Paul in the New Testament, and it was one of the few Greek poems translated into Arabic. Aratus’ Phaenomena is a didactic poem—a practical manual in verse that teaches the reader to identify constellations and predict weather. The poem also explains the relationship between celestial phenomena and such human affairs as agriculture and navigation. Despite the historical and pedagogical importance of the poem, no English edition suitable for students and general readers has been available for decades. Aaron Poochigian’s lively translation makes accessible one of the most influential poets of antiquity. Poochigian's interpretation of the Phaenomena reestablishes the ancient link between poetry and science and demonstrates that verse is an effective medium for instruction. Featuring references to Classical mythology and science, star charts of the northern and southern skies, extensive notes, and an introduction to the work’s stylistic features and literary reception, this dynamic work will appeal to students of Ancient Greece who want to deepen their understanding of the Classical world.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
This will help us customize your experience to showcase the most relevant content to your age group
Please select from below
Login
Not registered?
Sign up
Already registered?
Success – Your message will goes here
We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.