The Shelves · Epic and hexameter poetry
The Epic Cycle (Cypria, Aethiopis, Little Iliad, Sack of Troy, Returns, Telegony)
Known · Probablein Alexandria?Conjecturedvery likely class
I · The entry, in his form
In the table of Epic and hexameter poetry
Conjecturedvery likely classVarious archaic poets
The Epic Cycle
Opening words not preserved.
Length: not counted
Above, his entry form, filled from what we know. Below, ours.
II · Does it survive? Where to read it
Survives in fragments
Known from plot summaries in Proclus's Chrestomathy (via Photius and Iliad manuscripts) and scattered quotations.
Was it in Alexandria?
Known · ProbableProbably held in the Library.
In the cupboard: no source names the Alexandrian copy, but its scholars' use of it makes one very likely.
Read it today
- Evelyn-White translation of the fragments, Project Gutenberg · a translation · link checked 31 Oct 2026
III · In the show
The show has not yet spoken of this work.
IV · Sources and the living entry
Ancient references (2)
- Proclus, Chrestomathy (in Photius, Bibliotheca cod. 239)
- Callimachus, Epigram 28
Modern scholarship
- west2003epic
Entry checked 31 Oct 2026 · no corrections · Suggest a correction ›
THE EPIC CYCLE