Sophocles, Ichneutai [Trackers]

M. Carmen Encinas Reguero (Universidad del Pais Vasco)

Ed. by Laura Swift, The Open University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. -470 - c. -405

Places

Ancient Greece (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Drama

Resources

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Ichneutai

Ichneutae

(Ἰχνευταί), alternatively entitled

Trackers

Searchers

, is a satyr drama written by Sophocles. Until the beginning of the 20th century, only three short fragments of the play were known to exist (frr. 293-295 Nauck2), making it impossible to determine even the myth to which it referred, although scholars suggested variously the myths of the searches for Europa or for Glaucus. That situation changed in 1912 and 1927, when Arthur S. Hunt published volumes IX and XVII of the

Oxyrhynchus Papyri

, containing two papyri with large fragments of the play (P. Oxy. 1174 and P. Oxy. 2081a respectively).

The preserved fragments of Ichneutai add up to a total of 450 lines, possibly half or a bit more of the total drama, at least if Euripides’ Cyclops – with 709

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1970 words

Citation: Encinas Reguero, M. Carmen. "Ichneutai". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 June 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35860, accessed 24 April 2024.]

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