Of Golden Manes and Silvery Faces

Ever since the papyrus containing Alcman's Partheneion was first published in 1863, classical scholars have strived to solve its enigma. This book presents a verse-by-verse commentary to the text with a number of new proposals based on a detailed inspection of the papyrus. The Scholia to the Partheneion, where numerous new readings are made, greatly elucidate the composition of the chorus, the number of its members, the identity of the protagonist girls, the social context, as well as questions of performance. A new edition of the Partheneion and the Scholia is offered at the end, with a translation of the poem.