The Classical Quarterly (New Series)  Shorter Notes  xs1F21
τοxs1FE6 κxs1F71λλος xs1F00πορροxs1F75: A Note on Achilles
Tatius 1.9.4–5, 5.13.4*  Oleg Bychkova1  a1 University of
Toronto,  The phrase combining the terms κxs1F71λλ0ς and
xs1F00πoρρoxs1F75 to my knowledge does not occur anywhere else
in the Greek Corpus in the context of contemplating a beautiful
beloved. Achilles Tatius (second century a.d.) therefore must be
making an allusion to Plato. This can hardly come as a surprise
considering that Phaedr. 251, which describes the influence of
the appearance of beauty on the soul of the lover, is one of the
most famous and widely known Platonic passages. However, the
context within which these two allusions to Plato are introduced
deserves attention. Adding a certain learned touch to the
description of erotic episodes in his novel, Achilles Tatius
presents a ‘scientific’ explanation of the mechanism of visual
perception. The consistency of both accounts suggests that he
draws on some scholarly theory of vi