Oceanus... source of all rivers and seas

I must have mentioned it before, but I love it when you show this coin!

 

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Thank you, makes sense.

 

I'm hoping this is large enough to read- it's a lengthy footnote from our work discussing Okeanos:

Beaulieu's work is available online for those interested. A very good read!

 

Interesting reading, Nicholas, thanks for sharing it!

 

Thanks. I did a poor job translating this note from the Italian: Okeanus vs Okeanos/ Euripides vs Euripedes. Lots of inconsistencies I thought I caught. A work is never finished but at some point you have to pull the plug and this was a last minute insert. I promise there aren't many.

One thing to keep in mind is that the manuscripts recording Hesiod are from the 1st century AD, which means it was very far removed from the original tales and probably influenced by later traditions. I still think Hesiod elevated Okeanos over Acheloios because Hesiod hated mercenaries (Acheloios was loved by mercenaries), but the Homeric tradition and that of the Orphic ieras logos reflect earlier thinking.The Derveni is dated to the mid 4th century BC.

 

Nicholas, you've spurred me on to some diverting weekend reading! From what I've gathered, the Derveni Papyrus is in some sense a philosophical interpretation of Orphic theogony, and that regarding Okeanos, the papyrus author was of the view that Orpheus's own verses were not plain, and were being misread by the hoi polloi, resulting in their lay belief in an earth-encircling river known as Okeanos. While his explanation does challenge Hesiodic tradition, it would seem to at the same time serve to confirm that when he was writing the papyrus, that was the tradition being followed by the many, if not by "those with the proper knowledge".

Anyway, I'm obviously just scratching the surface of what's a very interesting area to read up on. It'll be fun to go deeper if time permits. One observation that I amused myself with was that Archeloios got his face onto many many more coins than Oceanus, but we're still using Oceanus's name for 70% of the earth's surface. Things may have been different if the DP author got his way, but I'm not sure if the term "the Atlantic Archeloios" quite rolls off the tongue!

 

Yes, exactly. The initiated realize Acheloios is water, which is the earlier view stemming from Near Eastern and Cypriot traditions, long before Okeanos (the Hellenic god) existed. I don't doubt that in the mid 4th century, when the DP was written, the tide was starting to turn against Acheloios in popular belief. That also explains the scholia on Homer.

We don't have the Atlantic Acheloios but we have other words, like "aqua". All of this and much, much more is discussed in depth in the book.

 

I love it when I have to look up new words! Thanks, Z and Nick . Really looking forward to your book!!

 

I remember something a now deceased friend told me several years ago. My book was about to be published and he said "you will turn to the first page of text and you will find a mistake". After 1 year of editing I received my copies of my newly printed book. Sure enough, there are on the first text page was a grammar error.

I agree Nicholas, a piece of writing is never actually completed.

 

Long ago I was a grad student in math and part of my job was to proofread my major professor's forthcoming monograph. I found many typographical errors--which repeatedly amazed him. It is very hard to see your own mistakes. Nevertheless, when it was published, a word was misspelled on the first page.

 

Just another coin from the back-up folder. Poseidon - Gordian III - Struck in Berytus.
Cop 126.