Though popularly ascribed to Homer, its real author is said by Suidas to have been Pigres, a Carian, brother of Artemisia, ‘wife of Mausolus’, who distinguished herself at the battle of Salamis.
Suidas is confusing the two Artemisias, but he may be right in attributing the poem to about 480 B.C.
This curious work dates in its present form from the lifetime or shortly after the death of Hadrian, but seems to be based in part on an earlier version by the sophist Alcidamas (c. 400 B.C.). Plutarch (_Conviv. Sept. Sap._, 40) uses an earlier (or at least a shorter) version than that which we possess 1118. The extant _Contest_, however, has clearly combined with the original document much other ill-digested matter on the life and descent of Homer, probably drawing on the same general sources as does the Herodotean _Life of Homer_. Its scope is as follows: (1) the descent (as variously reported) and relative dates of Homer and Hesiod; (2) their poetical contest at Chalcis; (3) the death of Hesiod; (4) the wanderings and fortunes of Homer, with brief notices of the circumstances under which his reputed works were composed, down to the time of his death.
The whole tract is, of course, mere romance; its only values are (1) the insight it give into ancient speculations about Homer; (2) a certain amount of definite information about the Cyclic poems; and (3) the epic fragments included in the stichomythia of the _Contest_ proper, many of which—did we possess the clue—would have to be referred to poems of the Epic Cycle.
HESIOD.—The classification and numerations of MSS. here followed is that of Rzach (1913). It is only necessary to add that on the whole the recovery of Hesiodic papyri goes to confirm the authority of the mediaeval MSS. At the same time these fragments have produced much that is interesting and valuable, such as the new lines, _Works and Days_ 169 a-d, and the improved readings _ib_. 278, _Theogony_ 91, 93. Our chief gains from papyri are the numerous and excellent fragments of the Catalogues which have been recovered.
A Vienna, Rainer Papyri L.P. 21-9 (4th cent.).
B Geneva, Naville Papyri Pap. 94 (6th cent.).
E Messina, Univ. Lib. Preexistens 11 (12th-13th cent.).
M Florence, Bibl. Riccardiana 71 (15th cent.).