COCCI DI TENEDO. NOTE SULLA CIRCOLAZIONE DEI TESTI E SULLA ENCICLOPEDIA CULTURALE DI DIONE DI PRUSA (OR. 42)

Tenedo’s Ostraka: Notes on the Textual Circulation and the Cultural Encyclopedia of Dio of Prusa (or. 42) · The remains of Dio Chrysostom’s Discourse 42, An Address in his Native City, provides valuable insights into two key aspects: the circulation of texts and the author’s cultural encyclopedia. One central focus of this paper is to examine Dio’s perspective in reconstructing the pathways and disruptions in the circulation of his works. A loose process is described, where the author relinquishes control over oral dissemination of his texts. Audiences were free to circulate his work as they wished and take advantage of it without constraints, while students could exploit his discourses as required in the progymnasmatic exercises. Another significant aspect of this study is Dio’s engagement with shared cultural themes and criteria of reuse of the ancient literary models. By echoing widely recognized loci and the classics of literature, Dio seeks not only to address a broad audience but also to engage his public in alignment with his own views and circumstances. Through the analysis of these two focal points with respect to or. 42, a textual structure emerges that outlines a well-arranged method, grounded in a system of inter relations.