I've entered the last two weeks of my job, meaning that I am entirely swamped. On top of that, it's the holiday season and as a designer employed by a copy shop (my second job) I am scrambling to get through a backlog of holiday cards and other seasonal work. In short, I have time for absolutely nothing else besides work, food, and a bit of sleep. Sorry everyone; two weeks and it'll be much, much better. Today I am going to share a bit of Roman author Gaius Julius Hyginus (64 BC - 17 AD), because the only reading I get to do lately is the Iliad by Hómēros. Why then Hyginus?

Hyginus mentions the Trojan war in his 'Fabulae'; the work consists of some three hundred very brief and plainly, even crudely told myths and celestial genealogies, including the happenings surrounding Troy. What amuses me greatly about Hyginus is that he briefly mentions the happenings, but spends far more time on crunching the numbers of the war. This is information that was obviously very important to him, and I can't help but grin every time I read it. Seeing as I need to do some additional grinning today, you are sharing Hyginus with me.


THOSE WHO WENT TO ATTACK TROY, AND THE NUMBER OF THEIR SHIPS
Agamemnon, son of Atreus and Aërope, from Mycenae, with a hundred ships;
Menelaus, his brother from Mycenae, with 60 ships.
Phoenix, son of Amyntor, and Argive with 50 ships;
Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, from the island of Scyros, with 60 ships;
Automedon, tfrom Scyros, with 10 ships;
Patroclus, son of Menoetius and Philomela, from Phthia, with 10 ships.
Ajax, son of Telamon by Eriboea, from Salamis, with 12 ships;
Teucer, his brother by Hesione, daughter of Laomedon, with 12 ships.
Ulysses, son of Laertes and Anticlia, from Ithaca, with 12 ships;
Diomede, son of Tydeus and Deipyla, daughter of Adrastus, from Argos, with 30 ships;
Sthenelus, son of Capaneus and Evadne, from Argos, with 25 ships.
Ajax, son of Oileus and the nymph Rhene, a Locrian, with 20 ships;
Nestor, son of Neleus and Chloris, daughter of Amphion, a Pylian, with 90 ships;
Thrasymedes, his brother, by Eurydice, a Pylian, with 15 ships;
Antilochus, son of Nestor, a Pylian, with 20 ships.
Eurypylus, son of Euaemon and Opis, an Ormenian, with 40 ships;
Machaon, son of Asclepius and Coronis, from Tricca, with 20 ships;
Podalirus, his brother, with 9 ships.
Tlepolemus, son of Hercules and Astyoche, from Mycenae, with 9 ships;
Meriones, son of Molus and *Melphis, from Crete, with 40 ships;
Eumelus, son of Admetus and Alcestis, daughter of Pelias, from Perrhaebia, with 8 ships;
Philoctetes, son of Poeas and Demonassa, from Meliboea, with 7 ships;
Peneleus, son of Hippalcus and Asterope, from Boeotia, with 12 ships.
Leitus, son of Lacritus and Cleobule, from Boeotia, with 12 ships;
Clonius, his brother, from Boeotia, with 9 ships;
Arcesilaus, son of Areilycus and Theobula, from Boeotia, with 10 ships;
Prothoenor, his brother, from Thespia, with 8 ships.
Ialmenus, son of Lycus and Pernis, from Argos, with 30 ships;
Ascalaphus, his brother, from Argos, with 30 ships;
Epistrophus, his brother, from the same place, with 10 ships;
Elephenor, son of Calchodon and Imanerete, from Argos, with 30 ships.
Menestheus son of *oeas, from Athens, with 50 ships;
Agapenor, son of Ancaeus and *Iotis, from Arcadia, with 60 ships;
Amphimachus, son of Cteatus, from Elis, with 10 ships;
Euryalus, son of Pallas and Diomeda, from Argos, with 15 ships;
Amarynceus, son of Onesimachus, from Mycenae, with 19 ships;
Polyxenus, son of Agasthenes and Peloris, from Aetolia, with 40 ships;
Meges, son of Phyleus and Eustyoche, from Dulichium, with 60 ships;
Thoas, son of Andrawmon and gorges, from *Tytus, with 15 ships.
. . . Pdoarces, his brother, from the same place, with 10 ships.
Prothous, son of Tenthredon, from Magnesia, with 40 ships;
* Cycnus, son of Ocitus and *Aurophites, from Argos, with 12 ships;
Nireus, son of Charopus and the nymph Aglaie, from Argos, with 16 ships;
Antiphus, son of Thassalus and Chalciope, from Nisyrus, with 20 ships;
Polypoetes, son of Pirithous and Hippodamia, from Argos, with 20 ships;
Leonteus, son of Coronus, from Sicyon, with 19 ships.
Calchas, son of Thestor, from Mycenae, augur; Phocus, son of Danaus, builder; Eurybates and Talthybius, heralds; Diaphorus, judge; Neoptolemus, son of Achilles and Deidamia, from the island of Scyros; he was called Pyrrhus from his father who was disguised as the girl Pyrrha.
The total number of ships was *245.
SLAYERS ON THE ACHAEAN SIDE AND HOW MANY THEY SLEW
Achilles to the number of 72;
Antilochus, 2;
Protesilaus, 4;
Peneleus, 2;
Eurypylus, 1;
Ajax, son of Oileus, 14;
Thoas, 2;
Leitus, 20;
Thrasymedes, 2;
Agamemnon, 16;
Diomedes, 18;
Menelaus, 8;
Philoctetes, 3;
Meriones, 7;
Ulysses, 12;
Idomeneus, 13;
Leonteus, 5;
Telamonian Ajax, 28;
Patroclus, 54;
Polypoetes, 1;
Teucer, 30;
Neoptolemus, 6;
total, 362.

SLAYERS ON THE TROJAN SIDE AND HOW MANY THEY SLEW
Hector to the number of 31;
Alexander, 3;
Sarpedon, 2;
Panthous, 4;
Gargasus, 2;
Glaucus, 4;
Polydamas, 3;
Aeneas, 28;
Deiphobus, 4;
Clytus, 3;
Acamas, 1;
Agenor, 2;
total, 88.