Pa'mphilus
4. An Alexandrian grammarian, of the school of Aristarchus, and the author of a lexicon, which is supposed by some scholars to have formed the foundation of the lexicon of Hesychius.
Works
The list of his works, as given by Suidas, is rather obscure, but the following is probably the correct punctuation of the passage:
ἔγραψε λειμῶνα (
ἔστι δὲ ποικίλων περιοχή),
περὶ γλωσσῶν ήτοι λέξεων βιβλίαε#...
εἰς τὰ Νικάνδρου ἀνεξήγητα καὶ τὰ καλούμενα ὐφικά, τέχνην κριτικὴν, καὶ ἄλλα πλεῖστα γραμματικά. The
λείμων was no doubt one of those miscellaneous collections of facts and discussions to which the ancient grammarians were fond of giving such fanciful titles.
The correctness of the title
ἀνεξήγητα is questionable, as there is no other mention of such a work by Nicander.
The next title is
ὀπικά in most of the MSS., and has been variously corrected into
ὀφικά, ὀφιακά, and
ὀφιονικά ; one critic, Reinesius, even conjectures
Ὀρφικά, which is a groundless fancy. [NICANDER.] Of the
τέχνη κριτική we have no other mention.
With respect to Pamphilus's chief work, the lexicon, we learn from Suidas that it was in 95 books (other readings give 75, 205, and 405), and that it extended from
ε to
ω, the preceding part, from a to
δ, having been compiled by Zopyrion.
It is quoted under various titles, such as
περὶ γλωσσῶν, περὶ όνομάτων, περὶ γλωσσῶν καὶ ὀνομάτων. It was arranged in alphabetical order, and particular attention was paid in it to words peculiar to the respective dialects.
The controversy respecting its relation to the work of Hesychius is too extensive and doubtful to be entered on here.
Further Information
A full discussion of the controversy about the relationship of his work tot ath of Hescychius, with further information respecting the lexicon of Pamphilus, will be found in the works of Ranke and Welcker, already quoted under HESYCHIUS, to which should be added the article
Pamphilus, also by Ranke, in Ersch and Gruber's
Encyclopädie. (See also Fabric.
Bibl. Graec. vol. vi. pp. 374, 631.)
He appears to have lived in the first century of our era.
He may be presumed to be the Pamphilus quoted in the
Scholia on Homer. (Fabric.
Bibl. Graec. vol. i. p. 518.
