Condition Notes: Used – AcceptableCover: Leather is worn and scuffed with edge wear, particularly at the corners and spine.cover is a bit apart from the book.Binding: Visible weakening; spine edges are splitting, yet pages remain boundPages: Tanning consistent with age, some stains and foxing noted; minimal ink annotationsPresentation: Early ownership inscription inside front leaf
Binding: Leather
Non-Fiction Subject: mythological
Language: Ancient Greek
Author: Homer
Original/Reproduction: Original
Publisher: Antiquity
Year Printed: 1812
Original/Facsimile: Original
This item is a rare antique Greeklanguage edition of Homer’s Iliad, Volume II, complete with scholarly commentary and marginalia in classical Greek. The text includes notes attributed to Didymus, a renowned ancient scholar, making this a particularly valuable resource for classical scholars, historians, or collectors of antiquarian texts.
Printed in ΘΕΟΝΙΑ (Theonia) and dated as 1812, this volume offers an authentic glimpse into early 19thcentury academic publishing and Greek scholarship.
Product Details:
-
Title: ἸΛΙΑΣ (The Iliad) – Volume II
-
Author: Homer (Ὅμηρος)
-
Language: Ancient Greek
-
Date: 1812
-
Publisher: En Theonia (Θεονία)
-
Binding: Full leatherbound
-
Features: Marginal annotations and scholia, classic typeset, extensive Greek footnotes
Special Features:
-
Text is richly annotated with ancient scholia attributed to Didymus
-
Evidence of scholarly use with ink markings on select pages
-
Includes various ancient Greek interpretations and hypotheses on sections of the Iliad
Condition:
Used – Acceptable
-
Cover: Leather is worn and scuffed with edge wear, particularly at the corners and spine.cover is a bit apart from the book.
-
Binding: Visible weakening; spine edges are splitting, yet pages remain bound
-
Pages: Tanning consistent with age, some stains and foxing noted; minimal ink annotations
-
Presentation: Early ownership inscription inside front leaf
Why Choose This Copy?
This is an exceptional acquisition for any rare book enthusiast or classical literature scholar. Its historic academic value and Greekonly printing make it a powerful collector’s piece, ideal for preservation, study, or display in a classical library.
Let me know if you'd like this paired with other antiquarian or Greek scholarly works.
Title Page Translation & Details
ΟΜΗΡΟΥ ΙΛΙΑΣ
Homer’s Iliad
(Ὅμηρος = Homer, Ἰλιάς = Iliad)
ΣΧΟΛΙΟΙΣ ΨΕΥΔΕΠΙΓΡΑΦΟΙΣ ΔΙΔΥΜΟΥ
"With Scholia Falsely Attributed to Didymus"
– This means the commentary (scholia) was traditionally—but incorrectly—attributed to the ancient scholar Didymus of Alexandria.
ΤΟΜ. Π.
Volume II (ΤΟΜΟΣ Π = Tomos B = Volume 2)
ΕΝ ΘΕΟΝΙΑ.
Printed in "Theonia" – possibly a symbolic or poetic pseudonym for the actual place of printing, which was a stylistic choice in scholarly publications of the time.
μωβ΄ / αωιβ΄
Year 1812 – This is confirmed through Greek numerals.
Handwritten Note:
At the top, you can see an inscription:
Greenfield, St. Paul’s School, London
This may have been a former owner, possibly a student or teacher from St. Paul’s School, a historic school in London known for its classical education. This adds provenance value — a fancy term for the book’s history of ownership — which can be very important for rare books.
Potential Value
Given that this is:
-
A Greeklanguage 1812 critical edition of Homer’s Iliad,
-
Includes scholia attributed to Didymus,
-
Is Volume II of a scholarly set,
-
Has classical school provenance,
-
it is in very good condition for its age…see the pictures for its detailed condition.
