Nota a Aesch. Pers. 280-283 = 286-289

Textual and metrical problems of Aesch. Pers. 280-283 = 286-289 are examined starting from the colometry of the manuscripts. At 280-281 = 286-287 the transmitted text can be defended if free responsions cr ~ mol; ba ~ mol (and perhaps ia ~ cr) are admitted. The deletion of Πέρσαις at 281 (Hermann) or of Αθᾶναι at 287 (Conradt, followed by West) are not justified, because both the words are not textually superfluous. At 283 = 289 the text of the antistrophe is metrically coherent and semantically unproblematic, whereas in the strophe ἔθεσαν and αἰαῖ are probably corrupt. The subject of the verb concealed under ἔθεσαν is not θεοί (Hermann, Heimsoeth) or δαίμονες (Sommerstein), yet can be supplied from Πέρσαις. At 289 the ordo verborum transmitted by the manuscripts is significant for the exegesis of the passage: μάταν goes with ἔκτισαν and therefore εὔνιδας means “bereaved”.