Nonnos de Panopolis (in Greek old Νόννος / Nónnos , derived from νέννος / nénnos “the uncle”), Greek poet born with Panopolis, in Egypt, at the 5th century of the Christian era.

Work

It belongs to a wave of Egyptian authors amateurs of Greek poetry, like Tryphiodore, Musée or Palladas. He is the author of the Dionysiaques ( Διονυσιακά / Dionusiaká ), a collection epic in two groups of 24 songs on the legends related to Dionysos, probably composed between 450 and 470. Each song begin with an invocation with MUSE and a prelude. The unit is composed according to the laws of the Rhétorique and intends to compete with the Homeric texts. A manuscript of this text, new then, was discovered at the 16th century with Tarente by Sambucus and was published little time afterwards by Christophe Plantin.

It converts with the Christianisme and writes then a paraphrase of the Évangile according to dactylic Jean in hexameters.

Editions

• Dionysiaca, nunc primum in lucem published, ex bibliotheca Joannis Sambuci pannonii. Cum lectionibus & conjectururis Gerarti Falkenburgii Noviomagi & Index copioso , Christophe Plantin, Antwerp, 1569.