A Note on Alcibius and the Structure of Nicander’s Theriaca

The editor of the modern standard text of Nicander’s Theriaca transposed lines 541–556 from their original place and inserted them between lines 508 and 509. His reasons are defensible from a technical point of view, but in this way the compositional structure of the poem is harmed unwantedly. This note suggests maintaining the original structure, based on the mirrored presence of the hunter Alcibius in the poem. This dual presence itself mirrors two earlier digressions in the poem. Aesthetic arguments should thus prevail over practical ones.