The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Part 68

4017 and PSI XII 1286 (for additional examples see LII 3653 introd. p. 30; collected by Van Rossum-Steenbeek, Greek Readers’ Digests nos. 1–16); LII 3653 (no. 17 Van Rossum-Steenbeek) gives two Sophoclean hypotheses in the same style.

(iii) We cannot exclude the possibility that we are dealing not with hypotheses but with unspecified mythographical prose stories ordered alphabetically or thematically. These stories may be related in one way or another to the tragedies and/or hypotheses.

As regards the first story, two plays concerned with the story of Theseus and Ariadne come into consideration: Sophocles’ or Euripides’ Theseus (the plays attested for Achaeus and Hera[ ], TrGF 1 20 F 18 and 37, are not likely to appear in the papyri). Sophocles’ Minos (F 407) does not seem to have dealt with our episode.

(a) Sophocles’ Theseus. Apart from the single quotation (F 246) there is XXVII 2452 (TrGF 4 F 730 a–g). These fragments have been ascribed to Sophocles for linguistic reasons, whereas T. B. L. Webster, The Tragedies of Euripides (London 1967) 106 favors Euripidean authorship. We learn from these fragments that Ariadne pities the young Athenians (because they are the tribute to the Minotaur; cf. 730 c.15) and Eriboea asks for pity (730 a–b); Theseus asserts that someone, presumably the Minotaur, will be caught (730 c), and he leaves (730 d); a celestial phenomenon is described (730 e) and at 730 f mention is made of someone’s wishes. These data are not incompatible with our text, although the latter does not seem to mention Eriboea, a celestial phenomenon or wishes. The names of Minos, Daedalus and Athena, on the other hand, are absent in frr. 730 a–g.

(b) Euripides’ Theseus. We know that Euripides wrote a play called Theseus; cf. Eur. frr. 381–90 N²; Mette, Lustrum 23–4 (1981–2) 130–34 = frr. 493–513 and cf. L 3530 (= F 386 b in Kannicht, TrGF 5, forthcoming). The fragments do not give much information: the scene must be Crete and the play deals with Theseus, Minos, the Minotaur and the tribute. Wilamowitz’s ideas about Theseus and his three wishes, by which the Aegeus, Theseus and Hipp. I would have been connected, are not supported by the fragments; cf. Webster, 105–6. Eur. fr. 1001 N², a fragment about the thread, may also belong to this play. Fr. 388 N² is concerned with pious love. We do not know the speaker of these words nor the addressee, but this fragment suggests, as Webster, 107, argues, that Theseus is warned or warns himself not to abandon Athens for the love of Ariadne. Webster refers to Erika Simon who offered the idea that this fragment comes from a final speech by Athena. It is tempting to connect this idea with our text (see commentary on i 16), but we must remember that our story may have nothing to do with Euripides’ play.

On 2452 see above. 3530 is not very helpful: it is probably part of a messenger-speech and may belong either to Euripides’ Aegeus or to his Theseus: "The messenger describes his vantage-point (2–3), then the beast (5–9), then Theseus (10 ff.) stripped for action."

For the story of Theseus and Ariadne in general, see F. Brommer, Theseus: die Taten des griechischen Helden in der antiken Kunst und Literatur Theseus: The Deeds of the Greek Hero in Ancient Art and Literature (Darmstadt 1982); LIMC III Addenda and VII (s.v. Ariadne and Theseus); C. Calame, Thésée et l’imaginaire Athénien Theseus and the Athenian Imaginary (Lausanne 1990) 78–116; S. Mills, Theseus, Tragedy and the Athenian Empire (Oxford 1997).

Until 14 the text seems to tell the familiar story: Theseus kills the Minotaur with the