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Posidippus and the Admiral KALLIKRATES OF SAMOS IN THE EPIGRAMS OF THE MILAN POSIDIPPUS PAPYRUS (P. MIL. VOGL. VIII 309)  The new epigrams of Posidippus, published as P. Mil. Vogl. VIII 309, cast a sudden dazzling light on an array of important topics in Hellenistic studies, ranging from Ptolemaic patronage of the arts to the early form of the poetry book. Not least among the scroll’s attractions are previously unknown poems about Kallikrates of Samos and his famous foundation , the shrine of Arsinoe-Aphrodite Zephyritis at Cape Zephyrion near Alexandria. These provide fresh insight into the interests of this prominent Ptolemaic courtier and so oblige us to consider anew some aspects of his career and objectives. That is what I propose to do in this essay. In light of both new evidence and old, Kallikrates will emerge as a figure who promoted a consistent agenda in his actions on behalf of his sovereigns, Ptolemy II and Arsinoe Philadelphus. An exponent of that “intercultural poetics” most recently described by Susan Stephens (2003), he sought to mediate between old Hellas and the sometimes strange new world of Ptolemaic Egypt, bridging the gap between the two, whether by bringing Greek tradition to bear on his Egyptian milieu or by spreading abroad his rulers’ novel cultural policies. To start, let us review what is known of his life: Kallikrates of Samos, 234 This is an updated version of “Posidippus and the Admiral: Kallikrates of Samos in the Milan Epigrams,” pp. 243–66 © 2003 GRBS. chapter 12 the son of Boiskos, was a man of power and influence.1 “Supreme commander of the Ptolemaic navy,” or nauarch, for some twenty years from the 270s into the 250s b.c.,2 he belonged to the inner circle of the court and was described by Philadelphus himself as among his philoi (Welles 1934, no. 14.9). His achievements and faithful devotion to the crown were such that Ptolemy chose him to be the first eponymous priest of the dynastic cult of Alexander and the Theoi Adelphoi in 272/1 (P. Hibeh II 199.ii.12), a signal honor. At Olympia, Kallikrates made a lavish dedication to Zeus Olympios in honor of his king and queen, setting up statues of each atop a pair of ionic columns ten meters high (discussed later in the present essay). A new detail furnished by the Milan Posidippus is the information that Kallikrates was active also at another Panhellenic shrine, at Delphi, where (as we shall see) his colts won the chariot race. In consequence, Kallikrates made a grand statuary dedication to the Theoi Adelphoi (74 AB). Further dedications by him are recorded in Samos (a statue of one Tinnis, daughter of Dionysodoros, apparently to Hera, IG XII.6, 446) and possibly at Kourion in Cyprus (a stele to Apollo, Mitford 1971: 117–18 no. 58). In Egypt, he dedicated a sanctuary of Isis and Anubis on behalf of Ptolemy and Arsinoe at Canopus.3 Most famously, at some point shortly before or after Arsinoe’s death, he founded the shrine of Arsinoe-Aphrodite Zephyritis at Cape Zephyrion between Alexandria and Canopus.4 This shrine is unique in being the only edifice of the third century b.c. commemorated in multiple epigrams by various leading Hellenistic poets.5 As we will see, the Milan Posidippus adds at least one more poem to the roster—I believe, however, that it in fact adds several. Both old and new epigrams show clearly that through this coastal shrine, Kallikrates sought Posidippus and the Admiral 235 1. In the following, I rely on the compilation of sources in Mooren 1975: 58–60 no. 010. 2. Cf. Hauben 1970: 69. Kallikrates appears as νααρχος during Arsinoe’s lifetime (i.e., before 268) in a Samian dedication (OGIS I 29) and in his own foundation, on behalf of Ptolemy and Arsinoe, of a temple of Isis and Anubis at Canopus (SB I 429). In about 257 b.c., he was probably still nauarch, as he had his agent Zoilos write to Apollonios, Philadelphus’ chief financial officer, to collect a tax (τριηρρχηµα) for the upkeep of the navy (P. Mich. I 100). 3. SB I 429. The attention to Egyptian gods may also be reflected in the offering of a rhyton in the form of Bes at the shrine of Aphrodite-Zephyritis, described in an epigram by Hedylus (4 GP), discussed later in the present essay. 4. I am persuaded by the dating of Arsinoe’s...

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