Batto e i suoi discendenti regneranno sulla Libia (Diod. Sic. VIII fr. 40, 3-13 Cohen-Skalli – PW 71; Fo. Q47). Una rilettura

Abstract

The paper proposes a reinterpretation of PW 71 (Diod. Sic. VIII fr. 40 Cohen-Skalli), a longer version of PW 39 (Hdt. IV 155, 3). Through structural and metric-stylistic analysis on the one hand, and lexical and content analysis on the other, I investigate useful elements for dating the oracle, such as the use of a shared vocabulary with votive epigram of the 6th-5th cent. BCE, stylistic forms analogous to other colonization oracles and to some evidence concerning the same story, the use of the epithet καλλιστέφανος referring to Libya, the characterization of the indigenous Libyans as βάρβαροι βαιτοφόροι, the emphasis on the role of Battus as a founder and as a king, and the role of the deity in the founding process. In contrast to categorizing the oracle as a cento of motifs from tradition, this paper explores the possibility of dating it to the first half of the fifth century BCE.

Keywords

• oracles
• Cyrene
• Libya
• Battus
• formularity