Callimachus’ Victoria Berenices: A Case Study in Elegiac Epyllion

Studies of epyllion have largely been limited to texts in dactylic hexameter. Certain elegiac poems, however, are similar to these epyllia in style and theme. Using Callimachus’ Victoria Berenices as a case study, this paper argues that these elegiac poems have a place in the conclusions and investigations of epyllion. After situating the Victoria Berenices relative to previous epinician poetry, the poem is explored in terms of its relationship to archaic elegiac predecessors that also bear resemblances to modern conceptions of epyllion. The discussion of these elegiac epyllia is then read in the context of several ancient literary critics.