THE TITLE OF AESCHYLUS' OSTOLOGOI

Abstract

T HERE are two competing theories concerning the correct meaning of the term'OroXo6yot in the title of Aeschylus' fragmentary play about the final stages of Odysseus' homecoming (TrGF 3 F 179-180). The word is certainly composed of bo6r# and X7Pytv, and therefore must be translated as "bone-gatherers." But it is not completely clear what kind of bones are gathered and by whom precisely they are collected. According to the oldest hypothesis on the matter' the "bone-gatherers" would be the beggars in Odysseus' palace who ask for food and are happy to get bones at least.2 According to another opinion, now presumably the position of the majority of scholars, the title of the play points to the ancient custom according to which the relatives of a dead person collected the bones of their cremated family member and buried them in an urn,3 and in this case the "bone-gatherers" would be the suitors' relatives who execute their normal duty and act as the chorus of the play, seeking compensation from Odysseus and agreeing to a settlement only after a long dispute.4 A related though separate question is the generic classifi-