Western Medieval Manuscripts : Commentary on the First Alcibiades of Plato

Olympiodorus, the Younger, of Alexandria, active 6th century

Western Medieval Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'>This manuscript contains the Commentary on the <i>First Alcibiades</i>, a dialogue traditionally attributed to Plato (but whose authorship is disputed), by <i> Olympiodorus</i>, teacher of philosophy in Alexandria in the 6th century CE. Olympiodorus' lectures, as transmitted by this commentary, were aimed to give an introduction to Plato.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The codex, which was thought to be a late testimony of the text from the 17th century by its last editor (Westerink 1956, p. vii), can be traced back to the 16th century, after 1535. The watermark of the manuscript's paper is comparable with examples dated in the first half of the 16th century, and comes from a paper mill active in Troyes since 1503. The text derives from <a target='_blank' class='externalLink' href='http://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cc20881m'>Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, gr. 1822</a>, which was copied in 1535 in Venice by Angelos Bergikios, royal "scriptor" to the King of France in Fontainebleau (Westerink 1956, p. vii). An anononymous annotator, in a marginal note on <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(244);return false;'>f. 120v</a>, seems to refer exactly to this exemplar. Therefore, the manuscript possibly originated in the French environment of Fontainebleau as well. </p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Dr Erika Elia</p>