Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Electra

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Φωκεύς should not be changed to “Φωκέως”: it was desirable that the messenger himself should seem an alien. Similarly Orestes and Pylades come as “Φωκῆς ἄνδρες” (1107).

“ἀνδρὸς Φανοτέως. ἀνήρ”, thus prefixed to a proper name, serves either: (a) to introduce a person not previously men tioned,—being more respectful than “τις”, as Il. 11. 92“ἄνδρα Βιήνορα”, Her. 8. 82“ἀνὴρ Παναίτιος”: or (b) adds something of solemnity or pathos to the mention of a familiar name, as Soph. O. C. 109“ἀνδρὸς Οἰδίπου”, Soph. Ai. 817“ἀνδρὸς Ἕκτορος”.

Phanoteus was the eponymous hero of the town Phanoteus ( Thuc. 4. 89), or Panopeus ( Il. 2. 520 etc., Paus. , Strabo), in Phocis, close to the Boeotian frontier, —about three miles west of Chaeroneia, and as many east of Daulis. He was the brother of Crisus, from whom the town of Crisa in Phocis (about two miles w. s. w. of Delphi) took its name. Between these brothers, said the legend, there was a deadly feud; before birth they had struggled in the womb (Tzetzes, Lycophr. 939: cp. Preller, Griechische Mythologie, 2. p. 54 n. 5). Now Crisus was the father of Strophius, that king of Crisa who was the ally of Agamemnon, and with whom the young Orestes found a home. Hence Phanoteus, the foe of Crisus, is represented as the friend of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra. He is the first to send them the glad tidings that Orestes is dead. On the other hand it is Strophius who is described as paying the last honours to the corpse, and sending the ashes to Mycenae (1111).

ὁ γὰρ: other instances of the art., as demonstr. pron., immediately followed by “γάρ” (and not by “μέν” or “δέ”) are, O. T. 1082（“τῆς”), O. T. 1102（“τῷ”), Ph. 154（“τό”). The art. “ὁ, ἡ”, when it stands as demonstr. pron., is sometimes written “ὅ, ἥ”: a practice which is recognised by Eustathius (p. 23. 3, on Il. 1. 9), but which seems to rest on no good ground.