Brill’s New Pauly

Get access

Genethliakon
(459 words)

[German version]

I. Greek

A genethliakón (γενεθλιακόν, sc. μέλος, ᾷ̓σμα) is a poem in honour of a birthday (γενέθλιος ἡμέρα, γενέθλιον ἦμαρ), in association with a gift or standing alone. Callim. Fr. 202 is a iamb to a friend in celebration of the seventh day after the birth of his daughter. There is an isopsephic epigram written by Leonides of Alexandria (Anth. Pal. 6,321) as a birthday present to Caesar γενεθλιακαῖσιν ἐν ὥραις. Other epigrams, particularly by  Crinagoras, accompanied birthday gifts: in Anth. Pal. 6,227 Proclus is given a s…

Cite this page
Robbins, Emmet (Toronto), “Genethliakon”, in: Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 30 November 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e421500>
First published online: 2006
First print edition: 9789004122598, 20110510



▲   Back to top   ▲