Classics Colloquium

Ancient historians have long neglected astrological lore, despite its importance for their subjects. This paper argues that keeping an open mind about it can lead to unexpected historical insight. It argues that the unattributed Greek epigram Anthologia Palatina IX. 436 (traditionally ascribed to Theocritus) is an astrological riddle. By comparing the work to the genre conventions of ancient riddles, I show that the numerical sequences in the text function as deliberate clues designed to be solved through astrological interpretation. A solution is proposed that would date the poem to the third year of the reign of Nero, 56 CE, and identify its occasion as the funerary honors for L. Volusius Saturninus.