Ichneutai

or

Ichneutae

(Ἰχνευταί), alternatively entitled

Trackers

or

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

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 02 December 2024.]

35860 Ichneutai 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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