The Batrachomyomachia -- a Short Lived Battle with a Long Lasting Legacy

Author: Dexter Navage

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Bridget Whearty, Jeremy Dibbell

Easel: 16

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: The ancient Greek poem Batrachomyomachia tells the story of a one-day war between the kingdoms of mice and frogs, ended only by the intervention of Zeus. This poem has taken many forms, including a 1721 collection of translations which can be found in the Binghamton Special Collections. This paper tells the story of the book’s many owners, from a French nobleman who killed himself before the revolution could take his head to a Prussian bookseller who fled to America with his Jewish wife in the late 1930s. While some left a name or other mark of ownership behind, other owners were only found in historical records including this book. This paper argues that these records are the only way we have a connection between this book and some of its owners, signifying the incredible importance of keeping and maintaining proper records, allowing future scholars to explore otherwise unidentifiable connections.