Much has been written about the chronology of Alexandrian
literature and the famous Library, founded by Ptolemy Soter, but
the dates of the chief writers are still matters of conjecture. The
birth of Apollonius Rhodius is placed by scholars at various times
between 296 and 260 B.C., while the year of his death is equally
uncertain. In fact, we have very little information on the subject.
There are two "lives" of Apollonius in the Scholia, both derived
from an earlier one which is lost. From these we learn that he was
of Alexandria by birth, 1001 that he lived in the time of the
Ptolemies, and was a pupil of Callimachus; that while still a youth
he composed and recited in public his "Argonautica," and that the
poem was condemned, in consequence of which he retired to Rhodes;
that there he revised his poem, recited it with great applause, and
hence called himself a Rhodian. The second "life" adds: "Some say
that he returned to Alexandria and again recited his poem with the
utmost success, so that he was honoured with the libraries of the
Museum and was buried with Callimachus." The last sentence may be
interpreted by the notice of Suidas, who informs us that Apollonius
was a contemporary of Eratosthenes, Euphorion and Timarchus, in the
time of Ptolemy Euergetes, and that he succeeded Eratosthenes in
the headship of the Alexandrian Library. Suidas also informs us
elsewhere that Aristophanes at the age of sixty-two succeeded
Apollonius in this office. Many modern scholars deny the
"bibliothecariate" of Apollonius for chronological reasons, and
there is considerable difficulty about it. The date of Callimachus'
"Hymn to Apollo," which closes with some lines (105-113) that are
admittedly an allusion to Apollonius, may be put with much
probability at 248 or 247 B.C. Apollonius must at that date have
been at least twenty years old. Eratosthenes died 196-193 B.C. This
would make Apollonius seventy-two to seventy-five when he succeeded
Eratosthenes. This is not impossible, it is true, but it is
difficult. But the difficulty is taken away if we assume with
Ritschl that Eratosthenes resigned his office some years before his
death, which allows us to put the birth of Apollonius at about 280,
and would solve other difficulties. For instance, if the Librarians
were buried within the precincts, it would account for the burial
of Apollonius next to Callimachus-Eratosthenes being still alive.
However that may be, it is rather arbitrary to take away the
"bibliothecariate" of Apollonius, which is clearly asserted by
Suidas, on account of chronological calculations which are
themselves uncertain. Moreover, it is more probable that the words
following "some say" in the second "life" are a remnant of the
original life than a conjectural addition, because the first "life"
is evidently incomplete, nothing being said about the end of
Apollonius' career.
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