This poem, found in the 1990s in the ever-expanding corpus of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, seems to date from the reign of Diocletian, c. 285 CE; Diocletian’s accession is placed at November 20, 284, and was known in Egypt by at least March 7, 285, or possibly as early as February 10. It is possible that the whole composition, of which the beginning is about Antinous and later praises the new Emperor, was written for a poetic competition associated with the Capitoline Games. The themes dealt with here are familiar ones in terms of the corpus of ancient texts on Antinous, but we get the further details here of what Tatian alone amongst the Christian critics speaks of, i.e. the face of Antinous appearing in the moon, and thus shedding possible light on his connection at Lanuvium with Diana and also the tondoof the bear hunt, here appearing as Selene/the Moon.[1] It is possible that Hadrian’s sister, Domitia Paulina, was deified and portrayed in some places as Selene.[2] In the notes to this papyrus fragment, it is mentioned that a “guest star,” which could either have been a comet or a nova, was seen about January 29, 131 and recorded in China; the process of some mortal or hero becoming a star is called “catasterism.” A small island near the city of Antinoöpolis, which was created by a canal in the city, is also referred to here. The poem is given in a prose translation here.[3]
In portions of the text too fragmentary to translate (the beginning), it seems that Antinous is given the parentage, whether mythical or not, of one Mantinoë and Hermes; he is called the son of Hermes in Pancrates’ epic, and the female foundress of Mantineia, Antinoë (essentially the feminine form of Antinous),[4]seems to have been a possible model for the name of his mother here—other names in the time after Antinous’ death seemed to be formed in a fashion which included his name as an element, examples being Philantinous, Hermantinous, Ammonantinous, Besantinous, Dionysantinous, Heraklantinous, Panantinous, and Oseirantinous. Further, the fragments also seem to point toward some sort of sacrifice to Herakles—of which the lion hunt tondialso record—the misty morning and hunting attire of the hunting party, fearlessness, and the horses of Antinous and Hadrian, but all of these are somewhat uncertain, and suggested based on the existence of these things as documented elsewhere in the material relating to Antinous and Hadrian.
A further third/fourth century fragmentary Encomium for Antinous and Hermes has been found, and it seems to mention Hermes and Antinous,[5]and, speaking of the latter’s youth, says that Apollon was invited to celebrate, and that either Antinous was born and “reached the fine flower of youth” or perhaps “Antinous is born, like a flower in the spring.” The latter is favored because of his later onomastic floral memorial. A further elegiac text of the second century commemorates many famous loves between gods and male mortals,[6]referring to Apollon and Hyakinthos, Dionysos and “the Indian” (perhaps Ampelos, Hymenaeus, or Staphylos, but also possibly one of Dionysus’ other loves, which include Achilleus, Adonis, Hermaphroditos, and Prosymnos), and Herakles and Hylas, in which a suggested restoration would include Antinous, in terms of references to “fire and foam,” possibly meaning the fire of love drowned in water. I hope to be able to translate fragments from these eventually.
…She rejoiced to find the ransom for the life of Antinous, memorial of his hunt, palm of his victory,…
I revere, Narcissus, your shadowy reflection; I shed a tear for Hyakinthos, who grasped the cruel discus; I pity your hunting of the wild beast, Adonis. Yet the meadow of Antinous and his lovely new flower envy not pool, not fatal discus, not boar. The nymphs began to crown their tresses with the flower named after Antinous, which to this day preserves the mighty spear of the hunter. Into the Nile he hurried for purification of the blood of the lion, but the Moon [Selene] upon more brilliant hopes bade him shine as a star-like bridegroom and garlanding the new light with a circle she took him for her husband. A city was the gift of Hadrian, an island that of the Nile; the one lies rich in vines beside its sweet neighbor, the other welcoming the chosen flower of Achaea, has been crowned for her harbors as champion of the plain.
Capitoline Zeus took pity at last on the human race and gave the lordship of all the earth and all the sea to godlike king Diocletian. He extinguished the memory of former griefs for any still suffering in grim bonds in a lightless place. Now a father sees his child, a wife her husband, a brother his brother released, as if coming into the light of the sun a second time from Hades. Gladly Diogenes, savior of cities, received the favor of the good king and swiftly dispatched to the cities the joyful forgetfulness of griefs. The whole land takes delight in its joy as at the light of a golden age, and the iron, drawn back from the slaughter of men, lies bloodlessly in the scabbard. You too have rejoiced to announce the royal gift to all, governor of the Seven Nomes, and the Nile has praised your mildness earlier still, when you governed the towns of Nilotic Thebes with care and righteousness.
Now, blessed scepter-bearer of the chorus clad in cloaks, I pray to you to help me. Since at night and at the dawn you yourself were the watcher over our labors, garland me with the leaves of your Olympian olive.
[1]I have discussed some of this in P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, “Artemis and the Cult of Antinous,” in Thista Minai et al. (eds.), Unbound: A Devotional Anthology for Artemis(Eugene: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2009), pp. 106-112.
[2]Günter Grimm, “Paulina und Antinous. Zur Vergöttlichung der Hadriansschwester in Ägypten,” in Christoph Börker and Michael Donderer (eds.), Das antike Rom und der Osten: Festschrift für Klaus Parlasca zum 65. Geburtstag(Erlangen: Universitätsbund Erlangen-Nürnberg, 1990), pp. 33-44.
[3]J. R. Rea (ed.), The Oxyrhynchus Papyri63 (London: Egypt Exploration Society, 1996), §4352, pp. 1-17.
[4]I have discussed some of this in P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, ”From Arcadia with Love: Pan and the Cult of Antinous,” in Diotima et al. (eds.), Out of Arcadia: A Devotional Anthology for Pan(Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2011), pp. 86-93.
[5]A. K. Bowman, H. M. Cockle, W. Cockle, R. A. Coles, P. J. Parsons, et al.(eds.), The Oxyrhynchus Papyri50 (London: Egypt Exploration Society, 1983), §3537, pp. 59-66.
[6]R. A. Coles, H. Maehler, and P. J. Parsons (eds.), The Oxyrhynchus Papyri54 (London: Egypt Exploration Society, 1987), §3723, pp. 58-64.
P. SUFENAS VIRIUS LUPUS 