Pessimi poetae: On Philodemus, Ancient Tradition, and Selection Criteria

Building upon a passage from Philodemus’ On Poems (P.Herc. 994, col. 25.5-15), the article develops some considerations about four Greek ‘pessimi poetae’ (Carcinus, Cleaenetus, Choerilus, Anaximenes), dealing with their tradition and the reasons behind the severe judgments towards them. I show how Philodemus’ passage testifies of an extreme case of early selection (and loss) in the transmission of Greek literature due to the judgement towards the authors formed already by ancient critics.