Aristone, 'Sul modo di liberare dalla superbia', nel decimo libro 'De vitiis' di Filodemo.

This book contains both a new critical edition of the latter part of 'On Arrogance' (PHerc. 1008, cols. 10-24) with an Italian translation and commentary, and an introductory monograph dealing with literary, exegetical and papyrological issues. The new critical text, based on the direct reading of the papyrus by means of microscope and compared with multispectral images of it, has corrected and integrated in many points that by Christian Jensen dating back to 1911 and largely overcome. In particular, the Author identifies a new comic fragment (col. 13, 3-4 Ranocchia) and proves the logical continuity between the bottom of each column and the top of the following, which is lost. Besides, he reconstructs for the first time on mathematical grounds the extension of the original papyrus roll and founds documentary evidence about the unrolling of the first five volumes of the Herculanean collection. As to the content, the Author's analysis shows that the writing 'On Relieving Someone of Arrogance' continually quoted in these columns is to be regarded as a moral-protreptic letter with a popular-philosophical subject rather than as a simple delineation of characters made on the model of Theophrastus's 'Characters' or a treatise of descriptive ethics, as has often been claimed in the past. In the latter section of it (cols. 16-24), in particular, Ranocchia has recognised the earliest example of ethology or moral 'characterismos'. As far as the authorship is concerned, he adds further decisive arguments to those brought forward in the past in favour of Aristo of Chios. Among these are the therapeutic method and the application of the medical analogy to the theory of passions, the conception of arrogance and magnanimity, the invective against wealth, the rejection of the general education and the necessity of exercise for the scientific learning. Now, while these philosophically strong views clash with those of both Lycon and his disciple Aristo of Ceos as well as the historical situation of the Lyceum under their guidance, they correspond very well to the positions expressed by the Stoics and, especially, to the philosophical stance of the heterodox Stoic thinker Aristo of Chios. If the Author's conclusions are correct, the writing 'On Relieving Someone of Arrogance' is henceforth to be regarded as the most conspicuous fragment of this philosopher. At the same time, the obscure figure of Aristo of Ceos is thereby further reduced and Fritz Wehrli's legend of his prevailing interest for ethics and characterology is proven to be groundless. Finally, Ranocchia demonstrates in a specific chapter that the presence of the Stoic philosopher as a source in the Corpus Philodemeum is much larger than so far thought.