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In Aëtius 1.7.8 Mansfeld-Runia, Diogenes, Cleanthes, and Oenopides are said to have maintained that the deity is the world-soul. However, the identity of the Diogenes whom the doxographer mentions here has long been a matter of scholarly dispute. In response to attempts to ascribe the doxa to Diogenes of Apollonia, this paper reassesses old arguments and proposes new considerations to argue that a fundamental aspect of Diogenes of Babylon’s theology is at stake here.

This paper first examines surviving testimonies on the doctrine of the Great Year in Heraclitus and attempts to demonstrate the reliability of Aëtius’ version handed down by the mss., according to which the Great Year is equal to 18,000 solar years. On the basis of such evidence it is also possible to newly examine Diogenes of Babylon’s views about this topic. In the second part, the paper better defines the relationship between the Great Year and the theory of cosmic conflagration. It argues that in the sources at our disposal there are enough elements to credit Heraclitus with the doctrine of Ekpyrosis, although, in all probability, the philosopher never provided an in-depth description of it. Finally, the same problem is analyzed in relation to Diogenes of Babylon. In the most mature phase of his career, this Stoic departed from the Ekpyrosis doctrine of the early Stoics and especially of his master Chrysippus. The paper formulates some hypotheses on the reasons for this choice (arguing that it most probably reflects an original attitude towards Heraclitus on Diogenes’ part) and highlights that it was hardly an isolated, ‘heterodox’ stance during the final phase of the early Stoa.

The use of lead-drawn ruling lines by ancient scribes for the layout of Greek papyrus rolls was known to us only from classical authors and was postulated by a few scholars in modern times. In situ application of noninvasive Macro X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging Spectroscopy (MA-XRF) to unrolled papyri from Herculaneum, dating from about 200 BC to the 1st century AD, has provided the first direct evidence of such practice in ancient book production. The key experimental proof of periodic lines drawn in lead was gathered by a highly sensitive MA-XRF mobile instrument, which allowed detection of ultra-low trace residues of metals with detection limits that rival synchrotron light instruments. Elemental distribution maps of Pb have revealed three different systems of textual layout in ancient papyrus rolls and have resolved the dispute around so-called Maas' Law, by delivering experimental proof that slanted text columns were a deliberate aesthetic choice of scribes.

This paper provides a new reconstruction—with a philosophical commentary—of the section of Philodemus’ De pietate (PHerc. 1428, cols. 334-341 = frs. 20-24 Schober) devoted to the criticism of the views on the nature of god(s) held by Socratics, Academics, and Peripatetics. Placed between the Presocratic and the Stoic sections of PHerc. 1428, this noteworthy part of the Philodemean treatise has generally been neglected by scholars, especially owing to the very poor condition of the papyrus columns by which it is transmitted. The paper attempts to demonstrate that an analysis of these difficult Herculanean passages and a comparison with the parallel report from Cicero’s De natura deorum and the subsequent doxographical tradition can shed new light on important issues in the history of ancient theologies.

This paper aims to explain the distinction between syllogisms and subsyllogisms in Stoic logic. Subsyllogisms replace at least one premise in a syllogism with a premise that is, according to Galen and Alexander of Aphrodisias, equipollent to the respective syllogistic premise. This equipollence is not synonymy of meaning between two linguistic expressions, but obtains between two propositions when they are true or false by the same standard. Subsyllogistic premises are simple propositions that are equipollent to the non-simple premises of the respective syllogisms. For subsyllogistic premises that replace syllogistic premises consist of predicates combining with cases rather than of connectives or negations governing propositions. Because of this difference in their premises, subsyllogisms have a different logical form than syllogisms and are not formally valid.

In this paper we present a new edition of the former col. 3 Crönert/Marrone of PHerc. 307, now col. 64 Vassallo, where several fresh readings allow us to show how this text describes the mind and the sense organs as factors in the generation of different kinds of impressions. The text alludes to the doctrine, known to us from Sextus Empiricus, that certain propositions are unknowable in certain respects. The reason for this is that the mind and the sense organs are limited. The limitations of these cognitive capacities are the central concern of this column, which is continued in the subsequent one, where the problem of cognitive limitations is tackled with parallel remarks on trained cognitive skills. The column thus sets the stage for the discussion that follows, which focuses on the concrete case of problematic identity statements. As a whole, this case study demonstrates that new editorial work on this intriguing Herculaneum text can provide philosophical insights to enhance our knowledge of Stoic logic.

This paper analyses in depth the use that Diogenes of Babylon made of Plato’s Laws in his treatise devoted to musical subjects, of whose content we are informed thanks to one of the best preserved Herculaneum texts: Book 4 of Philodemus’ On Music. The Platonic legacy in Diogenes is examined from three points of view: a) the ethical-pedagogical effects of music (Leg. 2); b) the educational role of gymnastics and the classification of dances (Leg. 7); c) the problem of nomos and its relationship to the Stoic concept of justice (Leg. 6 and 9). The paper attempts to demonstrate that, if it is true that Diogenes refers to Plato sometimes even with literal quotations, he emancipates himself from the political project of the Laws (only apparently less radical than that of the Republic) in the name of a principle of adaptation to social reality that represents one of the most important ethical claims in the last stage of early Stoa.

In this paper we offer new readings and some textual and exegetical notes on cols. XI, XII–XIV, and XX Dorandi of Philodemus’ On the Stoics (PHerc. 339 + PHerc. 155).

This ‘monographic’ article (about 200 pp.) presents the editio princeps of the first part of PHerc. 1004 (coll. 32-85 Ranocchia-Vassallo), almost entirely neglected in Siegfried Sudhaus' edition of Philodemus’ On Rhetoric. We demonstrate that all this first part is divided into two sections: the first directed against an unknown author (possibly a Sophist), the second to Bion of Borysthenes. All these columns precede the section of PHerc. 1004 entirely devoted to the criticism of the Stoic Diogenes of Babylon (SVF 3.91-110) and pave the way to the systematic attack of Philodemus against the Stoic concept of rhetoric, possibly extending to the fourth and last part of the book as well, where Aristo is criticised.

This paper offers a complete overview of all the problems raised by the bio-doxography of Diogenes of Babylon, the fifth scholar of the Stoic School. In particular, all the most important innovations that have emerged in recent decades from research on papyri (especially the Herculaneum rolls) and their consequences on the historical-philosophical level are illustrated. After a re-examination of the debated question of the chronology of Diogenes of Babylon, an updated review of the known titles of his works is finally given.

This volume provides for the first time in scholarship a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the relationship between Stoicism and early Greek philosophy, from Orphism to the Monists and the Pluralists. Going beyond the doxographic vulgate according to which the Stoics refer exclusively to Heraclitus, it is shown that almost the entire pre-Socratic tradition (sometimes mediated decisively by Plato and Aristotle) has made a fundamental contribution to the foundation of Stoic thought especially in the field of physics (i.e., cosmology, ontology, and theology).

This paper attempts to demonstrate how the ‘deterministic’ paradigms (often expressed through famous metaphors) found in Heraclitus’ corpus of testimonies and fragments can be seen as forms of justification and explanation of the (physical and human) world. The analysis focuses first of all on the doxographical pieces of evidence available to us. Some confirm that a clear notion of Fate and Necessity can be ascribed to Heraclitus. The extant fragments, however, reveal that it is not possible to work out a univocal understanding of ‘determinism’ from the close relationship of Fate and Necessity. This issue is further explored via five case studies, which help, among the other things, to better understand also Heraclitus’ legacy in Stoic philosophy: Ekpyrosis (viz. the cosmic conflagration), Dike, Nomos, Moira, and Daimon. In the end, this investigation demonstrates that according to Heraclitus, the concepts of Fate and Necessity never justify suppressing human will: they seem to establish an embryonic ‘philosophy of freedom’ in the history of Greek thought, rather than an iron ‘deterministic’ doctrine.

This volume is the first of its kind entirely devoted to Crantor of Soli, an extraordinary figure of the Old Academy and shall provide the most complete picture of the aspects of Crantor’s philosophy (including its connection to early Stoicism), and, as such, benefit scholars of Ancient Philosophy, Greek and Latin Literature, and Ancient History.

This paper provides a new edition of the extant testimonies to the Stoic Apollophanes of Antioch (3rd century BCE), a close follower of Aristo of Chios, and a full overview of his bios and doctrine as it emerges also from important new evidence not taken into account in von Arnim’s Stoicorum Veterum Fragmenta. It is shown that defining Apollophanes as a ‘heterodox’ Stoic tout court does little justice to the complexity of his positions, especially those which distinguish him from his teacher, sometimes in a striking way.

A critical discussion on recent Presocratic studies and collections.

This paper re-examines and provides new readings for PHerc. 19/698, col. 19 Monet, where a reference to Aristobulus and an epistemological work by him is made. It argues through further elements that this Aristobulus can only be the Stoic philosopher, pupil of Chrysippus, for whom von Arnim unfortunately did not reserve a place in the third volume of the Stoicorum Veterum Fragmenta.

Trends in Classics – Greek and Roman Humanities Encyclopedia is an innovative reference work. While it presents itself as one comprehensive encyclopedia of Ancient Greek and Roman Humanities, it is organized as a set of interconnected encyclopedias, each one providing a validated and balanced representation of a specific subject. Scholars and readers will find extensive and detailed up-to-date treatment of key topics in each entry of GROH, ranging from the history of research to open perspectives and new trends. Besides the classic encyclopedic approach, extensive metadata will allow to search the content for persons, periods, places, and subjects.

The remains of Chrysippus’ Logical Investigations (PHerc. 307) contain arguments to the effect that there are no past, plural, and passive predicates. This surprising result has not yet been studied in detail, but it turns out that these arguments provide important insights into Chrysippus’ logical syntax. I interpret these arguments on the basis of furtherpassages in PHerc. 307 and testimonies from Alexander of Aphrodisias and Sextus Empiricus. The assumption that tense, number, and voice are predicate operators leads to an implausible regress of plurals and passives and renders the normally occurring regress of tenses implausible. The implausibility consists in the emergence of lekta for which there are no natural language expressions. The alternative view is that tense, number, and voice are propositional operators which avoid the problems of predicate operators. PHerc. 307 thus provides arguments for logical views of Chrysippus that are hinted at elsewhere and enhances our understanding of Stoic logic.

This paper provides a detailed description of the important contribution made by Amedeo Peyron (Turin, 1785-1870) to the history of Coptic papyrology. The general content of the ‘Fondo Peyron’ preserved at the Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria di Torino (BNUTO) is outlined, offering a bibliological analysis of two still unpublished Coptic magical texts, discovered by Christian Vassallo and of which Korshi Dosoo and Nathan Carlig are preparing the editio princeps.

PHerc. 307, which transmits Chrysippus’ Logical Investigations, consists of 12 ‘cornici’, of which only the first five have been published so far. They are actually the ‘midollo’ of the original roll and for this reason they are best preserved. For the first time we present the proeksodis of two unpublished columns placed between cr. 12 and cr. 1, which, according to the new reconstruction of the roll, are to be considered in sequence.