Literary and Rhetorical Aspects of Philodemus' De signis

This article examines the literary and rhetorical features of Philodemus’ De signis, a text usually studied for its contribution to Epicurean epistemology rather than for its form. It argues that the treatise occupies a liminal position between scholastic sourcebook, record of debate, lecture notes, and teaching manuscript. Its linguistic texture – including nominalisation, result clauses, adverbial-limiting relative clauses, and specific particles – is closely adapted to the demands of abstract logical reasoning. At the same time, Philodemus constructs a model of “shared authority”: his own voice remains discreet, while doctrinal legitimacy is distributed across the Epicurean school, especially through the reported teaching of Zeno of Sidon and other Epicurean figures. The analysis thus challenges older views of Philodemus’ prose as merely awkward or clumsy, showing instead that many of its stylistic features serve precise argumentative and pedagogical functions.