Search

[German version] (Θεόγνητος; Theógnētos). Comic poet of the 3rd cent. BC (cf. Pantaleon mentioned in fr. 2). Two fragments and three titles survive: Κένταυρος ('The centaur'), Φιλοδέσποτος ('The one who loves his master', probably referring to a slave [2. 28710]) and Φάσμα ἢ Φιλάργυρος ('The ghost or The miser'); in the surviving fr. 1 of this play there is mockery of somebody who has lost his mind in the pursuit of Stoic philosophy. Bäbler, Balbina (Göttingen) Bibliography 1 PCG VII, 1989, 696-698 2 H.-G. Nesselrath, Die att. Mittlere Komödie, 1990.

(Ἐπιγένης; Epigénēs). [German version] [0] Of Sicyon, Greek tragedian, 6th cent. BC E. of  Sicyon. According to the Suda s. v.  Thespis (θ 282 = TrGF I 1 T 1), the first tragedian (6th cent. BC). The audience supposedly reacted to the lack of Dionysiac content in his plays with the proverbial exclamation οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν Διόνυσον ( oudèn pròs tòn Diónyson, ‘But this has nothing to do with  Dionysus!’; TrGF I 1 T 18,3). Perhaps E.'s activity may be related to the τραγικοὶ χοροί ( tragikoì choroí, ‘tragic choruses’) attested for Sicyon in Hdt. 5,67 [2. 21-23].  Tragedy I Zimmermann, Bernhard (Fr…

(Λεύκων; Leúkōn). [German version] [1] Boeotian hero Boeotian hero, son of Athamas and Themisto, daughter of the Lapith king Hypseus (Apollod. 1,9,2). His daughter Euippe marries Andreus of Orchomenus (Paus. 9,34,6f.). Eponym of Lake Leuconis (= Copais) (Steph. Byz.). Walde, Christine (Basle) [German version] [2] Author of Old Comedy, 5th cent. BC Author of Old Comedy who competed in the Lenaea of 422 BC with the play Πρέσβεις (‘Legates’) against Aristophanes' ‘Wasps’, and in the Dionysia of 421 with the play Φράτερες against the latter's ‘Peace’…

[German version] The terms caricature, grotesque,   grylloi are sometimes defined differently, sometimes not strictly separated, sometimes used synonymously [11. 89]; but although the word grotesque is differentiated from caricature because, unlike it, caricature refers precisely to a model, in order to cover as many aspects as possible a broader definition of the term caricature is to be preferred [4. 4]. Therefore, regarding term and delimitation. cf. the essential [9]. Caricature as deviation from the normal evoked mockery very early on (Thersites: Hom. Il. 2…

(Θεόφιλος; Theóphilos). [German version] [1] Comic poet, 4th cent. BC Comic poet of the 4th cent. BC; victor at the Dionysia of 329 [1. test.2], fourth there in 311 with his Pankratiastḗs [2.190, 200]. T. was of the declining Middle and the incipient New Comedy [I G]. Of the nine known titles, two - Νεοπτόλεμος ( Neoptólemos, 'Neoptolemus'), Προιτίδες ( Proitídes, 'The daughters of Proitus') - are mythological plays, the others deal with everyday material. In the Ἐπίδημοι ( Epídēmoi, 'The Pilgrims'), a slave considers whether to run away from his kind master (fr. 1); in the Φίλαυλος ( Phílaul…

[German version] (Φιλύλλιος; Philýllios). Comic poet from the 5th/4th cents. BC; according to the Suda he was a contemporary of Diocles [5] and Sannyrion [1. test. 2]. He was victorious at the Lenaean festival and possibly at the Dionysian [1. test. 3, *4]. Thirty-three fragments and ten titles have survived, of which six are of a mythical nature (Αἰγεύς, Ἀταλάντη, Αὔγη, Ἑλένη, Ἡρακλῆς, Πλύντριαι ἢ Ναυσικάα; 'Aegeus', 'Atalante', 'Auge', 'Helen', 'Heracles, 'The Washerwomen or Nausicaa'). The last-…

[German version] (Πολίοχος; Políochos). Attic comic poet of the 5th cent. BC, victor on one occasion at the Lenaea [1. test. 1]. Two fragments survive, one from the play Κορινθιαστής ( Korinthiastḗs, 'The Whoremonger'). Bäbler, Balbina (Göttingen) Bibliography 1 PCG VII, 1989, 550-551.

(Ξενόφιλος/ Xenóphilos). [German version] [1] Comedy writer of the 5th cent. BC Comedy writer of the 5th cent. BC, victorious once at the Lenaia [1. test. 2] and possibly also once at the Dionysia [1. test. 1]; neither play titles nor fragments survive. Bäbler, Balbina (Göttingen) Bibliography 1 PCG VII, 1989, 803. [German version] [2] X. of Chalcidice Pythagorean and music theorist, c. 400 BC Pupil of Philolaus [2] (Diog. Laert. 8,46) and one of the last of the Pythagoreans (Iambl. v.P. 251; cf. Pythagoras [2]). X. was thought remarkable in Antiquity prim…

(Ἐπικράτης; Epikrátēs). [German version] [1] Democratic Athenian c. 400 BC Athenian who fought with the democrats against the oligarchy in 403 BC. In 397 he and  Cephalus advocated collaboration with Persia and a clean, quick break with Sparta, even at the risk of a new war (Hell. Oxy. 10, 1-2 Chambers). After Conon's victory in the Aegean in 394, he accompanied Phormisius to the Persian king as emissary of Athens. On his return he was accused of corruption but acquitted. In 392/1 he went to Sparta as an …

(Σειρῆνες/ Seirḗnes; Latin Sirenes, Sirenae). [German version] I. Mythology Mythical female creatures who sing seductively Sirens are mythical beings (in Greek myth female) in ancient sailors' tales (the earliest evidence - admittedly without context - extends back to the Mycenaean period [1]). Their seductive song makes sailors forget their home  (cf. Lotophagi) and perish. Instructed by Circe, Odysseus outwits the Sirens: he stops the ears of his companions with wax and has himself tied to the mast with inst…

(Πολύζηλος/ Polýzēlos). [German version] [1] Comic poet, c. 400 BC Comic poet of the late 5th and early 4th cent. BC; won four victories at the Lenaea [1. test. 2]. 13 frr. and five titles survive. Four of them are mythological (Ἀφροδίτης γοναί/ Aphrodítēs gonaí, 'The Birth of Aphrodite'; Δημοτυνδάρεως/ Dēmotyndáreōs, Διονύσου γοναί/ Dionýsou gonaí, 'The Birth of Dionysus'; Μουσῶν γοναί/ Mousôn gonaí, 'The Birth of the Muses'); he evidently favoured comedic presentations of the births of gods, a special variety of mythological play in vogue at the turn of …

(Ἀρισταγόρας; Aristagóras, Ionic Ἀρισταγόρης; Aristagórēs). [German version] [1] Tyrant of Cyzicus (end of the 6th cent. BC) Tyrant of Cyzicus, mentioned in Hdt. 4,138 because he supported the Persian king  Darius with a naval unit during his campaign against the Scythians about 513 BC [1. 87, 569]. Cobet, Justus (Essen) [German version] [2] Tyrant of Cyme (around 500 BC) Son of Heracleides, tyrant of Cyme, mentioned by Herodotes (4,138) as being important in the Aeolis along with A. [1]; he participated in the expedition against Naxos before the Ionia…

(Ἀριστοφῶν; Aristophôn). [German version] [1] Athenian politician (end of the 5th cent. BC) Member of the Athenian regime of 400 oligarchs in 411 BC. Sent by them as an emissary to Sparta, he was abducted to Samos by Athenian democrats and Argives (Thuc. 8,86,9; PA, 2102; Traill PAA, 175995. Meier, Mischa (Bielefeld) [German version] [2] Athenian politician (end of the 5th-middle of the 4th cent. BC) Athens. Politician, who was honoured in 403 BC for his resistance against the 30 Tyrants ( Triakonta) by   ateleia (ἀτέλεια) (Dem. Or. 20,148). Until his deat…

(Νιόβη/ Nióbē, Lat. Nioba). [German version] I. Mythology Daughter of Tantalus and Dione or Euryanassa (Hyg. Fab. 9, schol. Eur. Or. 4) and wife of Amphion [1] (Hes. fr. 183 M./W.). The oldest version of the myth is found in Hom. Il. 24,602-617 in the form of a comparison by which Achilles seeks to induce Priam to overcome his grief over his son's death just as N. did. N.'s children, the Niobids (Νιοβίδαι/ Niobídai, Lat. Niobidae), were killed by Apollo and Artemis after N. boasted of her superiority to their mother, Leto, because Leto had borne only two children, whil…

[German version] Son of  Aristophanes [3]; had the victory at the Dionysia 387 BC with the Kokalos of his father ([1. test.1; 3], [2]) and probably soon thereafter performed the second Aiolosikon of his father (Aristophanes, Aiolosikon, test. iv). The Suda [1. test. 1] places the beginning of A.'s activity in the 101st Olympiad (376/5-373/2 BC), which presumably means the performing of his own works [2], of which six titles (three of mythic content, three of non-mythic content) are extant. Alexis fr. 184 derides A. as frosty [1.test.4]. Bäbler, Balbina (Göttingen) Bibliography 1 PCG II…

[German version] (Ποσῆς/ Posês). Athenian comedian in the early 1st century BC; his father was a comedian called Ariston [2. 569], as was his son [2. 570]; victor at the Sarapian Games in Tanagra in c. 85 [1. test. 1]. P. was also an archon (in 88/87 [1. test. 2]), a gymnasiarch [1. test. 3] and together with his brother Timostratus a mint-magistrate ( c. 101 [1. test. 4]. Neither fragments nor titles of his plays survive. Bäbler, Balbina (Göttingen) Bibliography 1 PCG VII, 1989, 560 2 PCG II, 1991, 569-570 3 Ch. Habicht, Athen in hellenistischer Zeit, 1994, 296.

[German version] (Λάων; Láōn). Writer of the New Comedy. As he is quoted by Heraclides [18], it is safe to assume he belongs in the 3rd cent. BC. Two fragments are extant, of which fragment 1 is from a play Διαθῆκαι ( Diathêkai, ‘The Wills’); in fragment 2 (without a play title) an adulterer speaks. Bäbler, Balbina (Göttingen) Bibliography 1 PCG V 610.

(Σφίγξ/ Sphínx, also ἀνδροσφίγξ/ androsphínx: Hdt. 2,175; Boeotian: φίξ/ phíx; pl. Σφίγγες/ Sphínges). [German version] I. Egypt Depiction of the Egyptian king with the body of a lion and a human head Greek designation for the depictions which were originally only of the Egyptian king with the body of a lion and a human head; there is no known Egyptian designation for this type of image. Three-dimensional sculptural representations of recumbent sphinxes have been documented since the 4th Dynasty. (Djedefre, 2570-2450 BC). The great sphinx of Gizeh, worshipped…

[German version] (Δρόμων; Drómōn). Poet of the 4th cent. BC; two fragments of his play Psaltria are extant [1]. Bäbler, Balbina (Göttingen) Bibliography 1 PCG V, 1986, 124-125.

(Νίκη; Níkē). [German version] I. Mythology N. is the Greek personification of victory. As early as in Hesiod she is an abstract concept: Nike is the daughter of Styx and Pallas and the sister of similar personifications: Zelos (zeal), Kratos (power) and Bia (force) (Hes. Theog. 384-385). Zeus commands these powers forever (ibid. 388), since, on the advise of Styx, they supported him in the Gigantomachy (ibid. 389-403; Serv. Aen. 6,134). Nonnus outlined N.'s participation in the battle (Nonnus, Dion. …