This is the first complete commentary for ninety years on the surviving poems of Bacchylides. Part I, covering the Victory Odes, was published in 1982. Part II, with the Dithyrambs and the fragments of Bacchylides' other books, now completes the work.
Like the first part, this volume contains an introduction, the Greek text with facing German prose translation, the commentary, and the indices to Parts I and II.
Bacchylides, a contemporary of Pindar, was one of the nine "classical" lyric poets whose songs were collected, edited and studied by the scholars of Alexandria. The commentary, in addition to providing linguistic and factual information, aims to highlight the poet's qualities of style and composition which have so far been generally underrated.