Sanniti e Campani nel Papiro di Annibale. Nota testuale su P.Hamb. 129, 106-137

Abstract

In the bogus Hannibal’s letter to the Athenians (PHamb 129, 106-137) there is an incongruous allusion to a rebellion of Capua, repressed by Hannibal thanks to the Samnites, whereas as a matter of fact the Capuans held fast till the end to their alliance with Hannibal. This difficulty disappears if we bring up for discussion again Merkelbach’s emendation of line 115. Confronted with the evident copyist’s error, who wrote twice the same word ἐπανατειναμένοις, Merkelbach emended the second occurrence as ἐ<πιτιθέμενος>, with reference to μάστιγα (whip), and interpreted the first one as ‘rebelled’, with reference to Καμπανοῖς. On the contrary, since the verb ἐπανατείνω could signify also ‘to brandish’ with reference to a whip, I propose to expunge ἐπα̣νατειν̣[α]μένοις (line 114) as copyist’s error and restitute as the sound text ἐπανατ[ε]ιναμένο̣[υς] (line 115), with reference to μάστιγα. In conclusion, this is the text I propose:
112. Σ̣αυνί-
113. τας μάστι̣γα δο̣ υ̣ λ̣ ί̣ [̣ας] Κα̣ μ-
114. πανοῖς {ἐπαν̣ ατειν[̣α]μένοις}
115. ἐπανατ[ε]ιναμένο[̣ υς ἠν]άγκα-
116. σα ἐμῆι πόλει δεύ̣ τ[̣ ερ]α λέγειν
«The Samnites, (once) brandished (by the Romans) as a whip of slavery against the Campanians, have been forced by me to submit to my city»..