Il cerilo di Alcmane tra Aristofane, Antigono, Eufronio e Didimo

A detailed analysis of the scholiastic material relating to Ar. Av. 299-300 shows not only that the entire scholium is ascribable to the grammarian Didymus, but also that the ancient interpretation of the Aristophanic line implied several reception dynamics: firstly, the influence played on Euphronius’ dialectological exegesis by the allusion to Alcman’s poem on the bird named kērylos in ll. 250-252 of the Birds; secondly, the reuse of zoological writings and, possibly, of Callimachus’ Aitia in Didymus’ explanation of the pun on the ornithonym kērylos.