This study is the first to treat the Libyan episode (IV, 1223-1781) of the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes in detail. Since an up-to-date, comprehensive philological commentary on the final part has not existed until now, the essential principles of textual criticism, lexis, metrics, semantics, syntax, stylistics, realia and geographical spatial recording are newly developed. The commentary makes the pre- and intertexts accessible, but is also committed to exegesis, and a translation illustrates the findings. The introduction presents new theses on the composition and characterisation of figures in the fourth book and discusses in detail narrative strategies typical of the Argonautica. Overall, this results in a fundamental reassessment of central questions of current research on the Argonautica.

Stefanie Stürner, Philipps University Marburg, Germany.