Proverbs in Eustathius: Some Examples

Many examples show that proverbs and traditional expressions were very important for Eustathius, who often used them in his Opuscula and occasionally explained them in the Commentaries, collecting material from different sources of the earlier erudite tradition. In the Byzantine age the habit of borrowing was quite usual: this implied using and, to some extent, modifying traditional motifs already familiar to both the audience and the readers. Therefore, interest in proverbs was not a marginal aspect, and it appears perfectly natural that Eustathius should use them in his works and explain them in his commentaries. The importance of proverbs and their collections in the Byzantine age is twofold: philological on the one hand, literary on the other. In particular, they appear to be a suitable way to understand classical texts. The Byzantine paroemiographical tradition derives from the Alexandrian interest in proverbs, an aspect to which the Alexandrian scholars devoted attention inasmuch as proverbs were used by ancient authors (in a broader perspective, the entire lexicographical and erudite Greek tradition aims above all to achieve in-depth understanding of the classical texts). This philological attitude represents a key feature of Byzantine culture: but the paroemiographical tradition was also important in that it could provide authors with traditional materials to be re-used and adapted in new contexts. In his work, Eustathius embodies both of these functions.