Cosmic Order, the Erinyes, and the Sun: Heraclitus and Column IV (44) of the Derveni Papyrus

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of col. IV of the Derveni Papyrus, which contains a quotation from Heraclitus about the size of the sun. The article offers a fresh interpretation of the contents of the column and of its place in the papyrus as a whole, and provides new insights about Heraclitus’ views on the role of the sun in the cosmic order. On the basis of Piano’s edition published in the same volume, the article presents, first, a systematic commentary of the new text of the column. In addition to discussing the possible alternative reconstructions of the text and the various textual proposals advanced by scholars, the commentary pays particular attention to the question of how the author introduces the Heraclitean text, how much of the column can be a verbatim quotation from Heraclitus, and how the text of the papyrus is related to the alternative versions of the Heraclitean text as preserved by Aëtius and Plutarch. In its final part, the chapter more broadly exploits the relationships between the emerging text of col. IV and Heraclitus’ thought, and discusses, the role of column IV in the physical and theological doctrines of the Derveni author.