Posidippus, Hippica AB 78: three generations of victorious Ptolemaic royal women in the Olympic chariot-races
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Commentary
Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 7.133 shows that such exceptional family success across three generations was indeed greatly admired (note that the Berenice who is mentioned there is not to be confused with any of the Ptolemaic royals of that name).
The poem implies that the Ptolemies drove their chariots themselves, but this should not be taken literally (as is explained here).
The Pisaeans are the people of Pisa, a small town near Olympia that originally was in charge of the games. Here the word is merely used as a poetic synonym.
The poem is only preserved on papyrus and some parts are no longer legible. For a translation including a tentative reconstruction of the lost parts, click here.
Translation
proclaiming what is known, because my reputation [...]
My grandfather Ptolemy won with the chariot
when he drove his horse on the racecourse of the Pisaeans,
as did Berenice, the mother of my father. Likewise with the chariot
my father seized victory, a king who bears
his royal father’s name. All three victories with the four-horse team
Arsinoe won at a single edition of the contest.
[...] holy line [...] of women
[...] maidenly [...].
These [...] Olympia saw from a single family,
children of children victorious with the chariot.
Sing of the victory wreath of Queen Berenice,
in the four-horse race with adult animals, you Macedonians.
Translation used
Text
γ̣νωϲτὰ λέγειν, ὅτι̣ μοι δ̣ό̣ξ̣[α
ἅρματι μὲ‹ν› γάρ μοι προπάτω̣[ρ Πτολεμ]α̣ῖοϲ ἐν̣[ίκα
Πιϲαίων ἐλάϲαϲ ἵππον ἐπὶ ϲτα[δίων,
καὶ μήτηρ Βερενίκη ἐμοῦ πατ[ρόϲ· ἅ]ρ̣[μ]ατι δ’ αὖτ̣[ιϲ
νίκην εἷλε πατὴ̣ρ̣ ἐ̣‹κ› βαϲιλ̣έω̣[ϲ] βαϲ[̣ι]λεὺϲ
πατρὸϲ ἔχων ὄνομα· ζευκτ[̣ὰϲ δ’] ἐξ̣ή̣ρατο̣ πάϲαϲ
Ἀρϲ̣ινόη νίκαϲ τρεῖϲ ἑνὸϲ ἐξ ἀέ̣[θλου·
π.[ ±13 ] γένοϲ ἱερὸν [... γυ]ν̣αικῶν
κε[ ±12 ] παρθένιοϲ [......]ϲ.
τα̣[ῦ]τ[̣α] μ̣ὲ̣[ν ..... ἐ]π̣εῖδεν Ὀλυ̣[μπ]ί̣α̣ [ἐξ ἑ]νὸϲ οἴκ̣ο̣υ̣
ἅρ̣μαϲι καὶ παίδων παῖδαϲ ἀεθ̣λ̣ο̣φόρο̣[υ]ϲ̣·
τεθρίππου δὲ τελείο‹υ› ἀείδετε τὸν Βερ[ε]ν̣ί̣κ̣η̣[ϲ
τ̣ῆϲ βαϲιλευούϲηϲ, ὦ Μακέτα[ι], ϲτέφανο̣ν.
Edition used
F. Angiò – M. Cuypers – B. Acosta-Hughes – Elizabeth Kosmetatou (eds.), New Poems attributed to Posidippus: a text in progress, Version 15, July 2024.
Bibliography
Kainz, L. (2016), “We are the best, we are one, and we are Greeks!” Reflections on the Ptolemies’ participation in the Agones, in: C. Mann – S. Remijsen – S. Scharff (eds.), Athletics in the Hellenistic World. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 331–53.
Mann, C. (2018), Könige, Poleis und Athleten in hellenistischer Zeit, Klio 100, 447–79.
Meaker, M. (2024), Women at the Races: Female Victors at Greek hippikoi agones, in: C. Frank – G. Gilles – C. Plastow – L. Webb (eds.), Female Agency in the Ancient Mediterranean, Liverpool, 49–82.
Remijsen, S. – S. Scharff (2015), The Expression of Identities in Hellenistic Victor Epigrams, in: T. F. Scanlon (ed.), Greek Sport and Poetry (Classics@ 13), online.
Thompson, D.J. (2005), Posidippus, Poet of the Ptolemies, in: K.J. Gutzwiller (ed.), The New Posidippus: A Hellenistic Poetry Book, Oxford, 269–283.