1. Zenodotus of Ephesus
Pollyana Bell

2. Overview Born in Ephesus, c.325 B.C.
First Head Librarian of the Library at Alexandria
Responsible for organizing and cataloguing the library’s contents
Pioneer in Alexandrian scholarship
Focused on the works of Homer

3. As Head Librarian
First Head Librarian of the Library at Alexandria, appointed by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (the position was originally offered to Demetrius of Phaleron but he denied the offer)
Held the position from c. 285 – 270 B.C.
Responsible for collecting and organizing texts; also catalogued the library’s inventory
Organized texts by category and within those categories works were alphabetized which allowed the library’s contents to be more accessible
Callimachus would refine this system of organization

4. As an Alexandrian Scholar
Laid foundation for Alexandrian scholarship and helped establish the tradition for studying ancient texts, focusing on Greek authors
Focus was primarily on studying and preserving works of the past, not solely on creating new works; Zenodotus was also a poet (no extant works)
Developed methods for scholarship and textual criticism
Made critical editions of Homer, Hesiod, and Pindar
Invented critical signs to mark certain lines of text, namely the obelos
Future scholars at Alexandria would continue and build upon his work such as Aristophanes of Byzantium

5. As a Homeric Scholar
Edited Homer’s works and composed critical editions of them, most notably the Iliad, by collecting and comparing different manuscripts
Attempting to create a standardized version of the text
Responsible for the division of the Iliad and Odyssey into 24 books
Composed a Homeric glossary of unusual words found within the text
Wrote a treatise on the number of days in the Iliad and about the life of Homer

6. Criticism of Zenodotus
Has been the subject of much criticism in modern scholarship and even among his own contemporaries(Apollonius of Rhodes wrote a book entitled Against Zenodotus)
His treatment of the text has been heavily criticized as he seems to delete lines of text he finds unnecessary or merges lines in order to be concise
Strong debate regarding whether his editorial choices are based on arbitrary personal judgment, comparative methodology, or critical analysis?
Problem: there is no commentary left from Zenodotus to justify his reasoning behind altering the text

7. Sources
Fraser, P.M. Ptolemaic Alexandria Volume I. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972.
Green, Peter. Alexander to Actium The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.
Pfeiffer, Rudolph. History of Classical Scholarship. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968.
Phillips, Heather “The Great Library of Alexandria?” Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-22.
Vrettos, Theodore. Alexandria City of the Western Mind. New York: Free Press, 2001.
"Zenodotus." The Oxford Classical Dictionary. : Oxford University Press, Oxford Reference Date Accessed 21 Sep <