Due note prometeiche

I. At PV 2, where both the manuscript and the scholiastic tradition unanimously transmit the reading ἄβατον, all the editors of the last century print the variant ἄβροτον, transmitted by Schol. BT ad Hom. Il. XIV 78 and probably by a scholion in the Venetus Marcianus 474 to Ar. Ran. 814 (ἄδροτον). In this case, however, the criterion of the lectio difficilior alone does not seem sure enough to settle the question: an analysis of the literary occurences shows that the choice between the two variants is less obvious than commonly believed. Moreover, PV 2 would be the only instance of ἄ(μ)βροτος in the meaning "without men": outside of this case, ἄβροτος (cf. Soph. fr. 265c, 20 R. σκότον ἄβροτον) and its metrical variant ἄμβροτος (rather common in greek literature and also in drama: cf. e.g. Aesch. Eum. 259 θεᾶς ἀμβρότου) always mean "immortal". II. On the meaning of the hapax ἀκραγεῖς (PV 803), usually translated as 'not barking' (with ἀ-privative): this epiteth should perhaps be regarded as a compound with alpha copulativum vel intensivum (see ἄβρομοι, 'shouting together' or 'highly noisy', in Hom. Il. 13.41).