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P.Oxy. 2456 and the chronology of Euripides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2025

P.J. Finglass
P.J. Finglass*
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, Bristol
*
Email: patrick.finglass@bristol.ac.uk
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Abstract

The list of Euripidean plays in P.Oxy. 2456, whose primary principle of arrangement is by alphabetical order of first letter, has a secondary principle of arrangement, namely chronology of first performance date. This discovery provides a relative dating, and/or termini ante vel post quos, for 15 plays. The ordering in the papyrus is compared to orderings of other ancient lists of classical dramas, including a list of Aristophanes’ comedies whose arrangement by the same combination of principles was identified by Wilamowitz. A source for this arrangement is proposed, namely Callimachus’ Pinakes.

Keywords

EuripideschronologyGreek papyriAristophanesCallimachus

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Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Hellenic Studies , First View , pp. 1 - 14
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies

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