Since I’m at work I don’t have much time to post, but each time I see something like this I do feel some joy, but more sadness and anger. It reminds me of how much has been lost due since the late antique world. Some authors survive only in palimpsest form (Fronto, apparently Hyperides, a work of Cicero which I cannot recall, etc).
While I shudder at some of the indifference shown to works of the ancients after the passing of late antique world, I suppose I should be thankful that the successors of the ancient world copied as much as they did. But I can’t let go of some sad figures; Photius, writing in the 8th century, had access to many more secular histories than we do today, and even when we do have the works he cites, his versions were in almost all cases complete(e.g. a full Diodorus, a full Cassius Dio, etc).
i can’t believe they found this! to put this in perspective, you can already find ancient commentaries on the same book by e.g. porphyry, dexippus &c., but they were all later than alex. of aph.
re. the part they quote in the article linked above, looks to me like a commentary on a passage of ar. in categories 1b that, τῶν ἑτε?ογενῶν καὶ μὴ ὑπ’ ἄλληλα τεταγμένων ἕτε?αι τῶι εἴδει καὶ αἱ διαφο?αί… if so, dexippus, in fact gives what appears to be the same explanation (τῶι εἴδει εἶπεν ἀντὶ τοῦ τῶι λόγωι: Dexippi in Cat. I 36,1) (hard to tell though because they don’t give the grk of the new alex. of aph. text). dexippus’ explanation may well trace back directly to alex. of aphrod. on this point, we’ll see once the grk of the new text is released
I used to do the multi-specteral imagrey thing for the army. Maybe when I finish my degree I should study it more in order to look for manuscrips. It’s fascinating.
Honestly, I have not studied ancient philosophy, so I am totally ignorant about the Dexippus to whom you are referring. At first, I was very excited, because I thought you were referring to the third century historian Dexippus:
Alas, his works have all perished due to Byzantine neglect and almost expected disinterest, and all we have are fragments. I’m glad an author whom you find interesting, but previously thought dead, has survived to some degree. I hope they publish the scanned leaves quickly.
One would hope that somewhere there exist hidden manuscripts, perhaps in yet another palimpsest created by a boorish monk, or maybe buried in the sands of Egypt. One never knows!