MELANGES - VARIA

Aeschylus, Septem contra Thebas 577

όμμα Schütz όνομα mss.

Schütz's conjecture (1782) at once became the standard reading of 19th Century editions and commentaries. In the 20th Century British scholars at least, perhaps influenced by the hostility to the conjecture shown by Wilamowitz (1914), have tended to decline it : Murray (19371, 19552), Rose (1957), Page (1972), Hutchinson (1985).

West (1990), however, prints the conjecture, I think rightly; but like many earlier editors he does not indicate what meaning he gives to the whole phrase έξυτττιάζων όμμα. Schütz himself was explicit, «with a face showing haughty contempt», that is, «looking at someone with the face inclined backwards». Schütz gave only one parallel, the intransitive use of the verb έξυπτιάζειν at Clem. Alex., Pedagog., ΙΠ, 73, 4 (Vol. I, p. 276, 6) Stählin. Some commentators added further examples from Lucian, e.g. Cat. , 16 εαυτόν έξυπτιάζειν (LSJ gives four); others who declared their hand either understood the phrase differently, as an expression of indignation, pious horror or appeal to Heaven, or were content with an unspecific «with eyes upturned». Two main arguments are brought against όμμα : (a) the absence of the compound verb έξυπτιάζειν from known Classical Greek, let alone in the transitive usage required, and (b) the inadequacy of a mere look of contempt amid the violence with which Amphiaraus attacks Polynices.

With regard to (a), the uniqueness of the compound is far from damning, and there are many such singularities in Aeschylus (see e.g. A.F. GARNIE, Aeschylus' Supplices : Play and Trilogy \ Cambridge, 1969, p. 58-60). The simple verb occurs in the same intransitive usage and sense «be haughty» at Aeschin., Tim., 132. It is much easier to accept δμμα as the grammatical Object, perhaps even an internal Accusative, with έξυπτιάζων in its attested sense, than it is to accommodate mss. όνομα to it in unattested senses (for the precarious attempts at interpretation see Hutchinson's Commentary). The simple verb, moreover, is attested in the Passive (and the possibility of transitive use in the Active may therefore legitimately be inferred) at Soph., Phil., 822 ύπτιάζεται κάρα «his head is laid back»; κάρα and όμμα are not widely separate in meaning. Furthermore, the action of raising the eyes or brows in haughty or arrogant contempt is quite well documented for the 5th Century : Eur., I A, 378-379 μη λίαν ανω / βλέφαρα προς τάναιδές άγαγών or Alcmaeon fr. 81 ές δγκον οΰκ άνω βλέπων τύχης can be adduced to our passage; W. Stocken in his Commentary on IA (Wien, 1992), compares the expression όφρΰς άνασπαν in Ar., Ach., 1069, Eq., 631.

With regard to (b), a different kind of consideration helps to suggest that Schütz was right. Amphiaraus is the sixth attacker to be described by the Messenger