Aristophanes Ecclesiazusae 1172

Ecclesiazusae. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

1172. mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-50

Line 1172

κιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστερα-
This string is not a coherent sentence but a composite of three distinct birds (chickens, jays, and doves) combined into a single hyper-compound adjective, likely representing the title or a specific line of the lost play 'The Birds' or a satirical reference within the 'Ecclesiazusae' context regarding the 'Birds' comedy. The construction exemplifies Aristophanes' penchant for creating 'hapax legomena' through excessive compounding to evoke a specific comic effect, possibly mocking the verbose titles of contemporary plays or the chaotic nature of the assembly. The specific combination 'κιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστερα' is not attested in the surviving manuscripts of the 'Ecclesiazusae' and appears to be a modern reconstruction or a misinterpretation of a fragmentary line; the standard text of 'Ecclesiazusae' does not contain this specific compound, suggesting a textual crux or a confusion with the title of Aristophanes' lost play 'The Birds' (Περὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων) or a specific reference to the 'Birds' comedy within the text. The compound itself is a linguistic curiosity, combining 'κιχλη' (chick), 'κλέπτης' (thief), 'συμφύρ' (mixture?), 'φαττός' (fowl?), and 'περιστερά' (dove), creating a nonsensical yet humorous term that highlights the absurdity of the situation.