Αίγες (*POxy. 5160)

93

columns is not preserved, and the gap between the bottom of col. i and the
top of col. ii may thus be larger than this, although probably not much larger.
The back of the papyrus is blank. Henry and Trojahn 2013. Ill comment: “The
text is written in a medium-sized upright ‘severe’ hand comparable to those of
XXXVII 2804 (Sophocles?, later II) and XVII 2098 (Herodotus, Π/ΙΠ) ..., [and]
has on its back a land survey assigned to the reign of Gallienus”. There are
occasional corrections, perhaps by a second hand. Fully preserved lines of text
contain 16-20 letters, with most having 17-18.
Discussion Trojahn 2002. 205; Henry and Trojahn 2013 (editio princeps)·,
Luppe 2013
Interpretation Glosses in POxy. 5160 col. i.14-15, 31-2 show that an innkeep-
er-woman and a goatherd are onstage. If col. i.21-3 are correctly restored, a
third party is also present; col. i. 17, although problematic, suggests that he is a
shepherd. Culinary activity within is mentioned in col. i. 14-29, and the stage-
house is most economically taken to represent the innkeeper-woman’s place
of business. The Agora is a point of interest, but is located elsewhere (col. i.13).
Although the badly damaged POxy. 5160 col. i. 19-21 = fr. e (addressed to
the innkeeper-woman) nominally refers to cooking, the commentator argues
that what is really being discussed is how the goatherd had sex with the
woman inside the house. A few lemmata later comes a remark that (according
to the commentator) questions someone’s masculinity (col. ii.17-19, glossing
fr. g). The target of the attack might be the third party, with either the inn-
keeper-woman or the goatherd now replying to his insinuations. But there
is no obvious trace of a comment noting a change of speaker in col. ii.8-10
(contrast col. i.14-15, 31-2), and it is easier to assume that the third party has
the floor throughout what little is preserved of the text and that he mocks
both the innkeeper-woman and the goatherd in succession (“he stirred you;
or perhaps you stirred him?” vel sim.). What connection Nicias (fr. b) has to
the action is uncertain, and he may be mentioned merely for the sake of a
passing, punning reference to his tribe, whose name recalls the word “goat”
(thus seemingly ed. pr.); cf. fr. 20 n.
POxy. 5160 frr. d and f both have paratragic coloring.

fr. a = POxy. 5160 col. i.2-3
άναλα[βεΐν] τούς βουλομένους
those (acc.) who want to take up/recover