Αιγύπτιοι (fr. 1)

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3 διδόασιν In most cases it is not clear whether -a of this particular ending
in comedy should be counted as long or short (e. g. Ar. Ach. 53; Antiph. fr. 157.3;
Dionys. Com. fr. 3.6), but in Ar. V 715 is certainly long. For the third person plural
endings cf. Kortlandt 1988, 63-9.
4 The αίλουρου transmitted by C and E is unmetrical. The older form αίε-
λούρου is certain here. Moreover, cf. Phot, a 564 αίέλουρος- τετρασύλλαβος;
Moer. a 78 αίέλουρος Αττικοί- αιλουρος'Έλληνες; cf. Millis 2016 (on Anaxandr.
fr. 40.12-3).
Interpretation The whole passage has a strong rhetorical colour, consisting of a
rhetorical question and an argumentum a fortiori (cf. below, on. v. 2). Apparently
the speaking character is somebody qualified in rhetoric and not a superstitious
man.
The context of this fragment might be illuminated by the double antithesis
between σώσειεν (v. 1) and έπιτρίψειεν (v. 4) on the one hand (both verbs are used
with either an implied object, or an indefinite τινά, cf. above, under “Text”), and
between “generally recognized” (όμολογούμενοι) and zoomorphic (cf. ιβις, κύων
and αίέλουρος) gods on the other.
It has been suggested that this particular scene might include an attempt at
wrongdoing in an Egyptian setting, which would be preceded by a speech (mo-
nologue or dialogue) encouraging the action, the main point being that the victim
of wrongdoing can neither be saved nor the perpetrator punished by zoomorphic
Egyptian gods.41 However, it is better to assume that somebody (apparently Greek)
sneers at the Egyptian religion for some reason. For the worship of zoomorphic
gods by the Egyptians cf. Hdt. 2.37; Isoc. 11.24-7; Cic. Nat. deor. 15.39 ... omnefere
genus bestiarum Aegyptioi consecraverunt “the Egyptians used to regard almost all
kinds of beasts as divine”. In fourth-century comedy, Egypt and the parody of its
custom become a topos; cf. Eong 1986, 140: “the most significant barbarian topic
for Middle Comedy by far”; Livingstone 2001, 75.
1 πώς άν μέν ούν σώσειεν Remarkably enough, this combination of the
particles does not occur elsewhere in that order, but cf. Antipho Tetr. 3.2.5 έγώ
μέν ούν πώς άν έπιβουλεύσαιμι αύτώ; For the absolute σώσειεν see above, under
“Text”. For a context of disputing new’ gods cf. Men. fr. 156 (from Heniochos) τον
δίκαιον δει θεόν οίκοι μένειν σώζοντα τούς ιδρυμένους “a proper God should stay
at home and protect the people who set him up”. For the structure of the argument
cf. Ar. Ra. 1457-8 (Aeschylus is speaking) πώς ούν τις άν σώσειε τοιαύτην πόλιν, /
ή μήτε χλαΐνα μήτε σισύρα ξυμφέρει; “then how could anyone save a city like this,
when neither a cloak nor a goatskin will fit?”; Euphro fr. 4 (from Δίδυμοι) ό γάρ
τον ϊδιον οίκονομών κακώς βίον, / πώς ούτος άν σώσειε τών έξω τινά; “a person
who regulates his own house badly, how could he save some of the outsiders?”

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Cf. Obbink 2002, 211, who speculates that wrongdoing concerns the theft of a statue
or the like from an Egyptian temple.