Callimachus, Cyrene, and the Carneia: Social Solidarity in the Hymn to Apollo

Abstract

Callimachus’ Hymn to Apollo has been subject to multiple interpretations. Few, however, have recognized the social value of the hymn for the Cyreneans. This article proposes that the hymn’s two descriptions of the Carneia festival in Cyrene (the inaugural one at the city’s founding and the one in the time of Callimachus) shed light on the poet’s intentions for the work. His depictions highlight how the Carneia fostered the social integration of Apollo’s community. Callimachus’ hymn, therefore, like a festival, encouraged his contemporary Cyreneans to appreciate the social solidarity they experienced during the reign of Magas.