Ὁ ΒÉΛΤΙΣΤΟΣ e l’Optimus: Il ‘modello’ mitico di Conone di Atene nell’or. 32 di Dione Crisostomo e le sue implicazioni in età traianea

Abstract

Oration 32 To the Alexandrians by Dion Chrysostom is a reprimand that the author delivered publicly following a riot in the city of Alexandria. Critics are divided between those who argue that the work dates to the Vespasian era and those who attribute it to the Trajan era. The central point of debate is the identification of ‘the excellent Conon’ with the prefect of Egypt L. Peducaeus Colonus (70-72/3 AD). This paper proposes an alternative identification with the Athenian strategos Conon, victor of the Battle of Cnidus (394 BC), and aims to demonstrate how he takes on the role of a metaphor for imperial power in Dion’s text. This interpretation offers a broader view of Dion’s models, shedding new light on their metaphorical use, on the borderline between the historical and the mythical; it highlights the peculiar way in which Dion represents the relationship between Rome and the provinces; finally, it offers food for thought in favour of the Trajanic dating.