II. EURIPIDES

In volume LIII were published such manuscripts of Euripides' extant later plays—those constituting vol. iii of the OCT Oxford Classical Text—as had at that time been identified (3712–19). The texts presented here are a supplement to that group. Again thanks are due to Dr James Diggle for additions and corrections.

4012. EURIPIDES, Phoenissae 430–7, 461–7

95/69(a) | 4.2 × 4.2 cm | Fifth century

A scrap of a parchment codex, written in a medium-sized sloping hand of the type illustrated by G. Cavallo and H. Maehler, Greek Bookhands of the early Byzantine Period, nos. 15a and 15b and assignable to the fifth century. The contrast between thick and thin strokes is pronounced but not extreme. a is sharp, the midstroke of e descends and is kept short, o tends not to attain its full oval height and shape, t has dots at either end of the thin top-bar. Much if not all of the lectional apparatus, which includes extensive accentuation, appears to be by a second hand. On the rather unsafe assumption that between 437 and 462 there was no discrepancy of line-count between the papyrus and the medievally transmitted text, the depth of the written area may be calculated as c. 18 cm, occupied by c. 30 lines.

Two notable points of textual interest: a nearly new reading in 434, and substantial discrepancy at 436 f.

Recto (flesh side)