Abstract

This article principally discusses the contest between Ajax and Odysseus in Quintus Smyrnaeus Posthomerica 5. Scholars have recently labelled the poem as a “Second Sophistic epic,” partly on the basis of discussion of the Hoplōn Krisis in Book 5. I begin by discussing the literary and cultural context of the Posthomerica, and especially the contest in Book 5, in relation to this label. I then show that the contest is closely modelled on speech-making situations in the Iliad, particularly contests of “flyting.” I discuss the nature of flyting speeches, and discuss how Odysseus is made to appropriate Iliadic flyting settings to prove his worth as the rightful heir to the arms.