242

Σώσιππος (Sosippos)
(‘Sosippus’)

Discussion Meineke 18391.373; 1840 III. 191; 1847. 587; Bothe 1855. 429; Kock
1884 11.155; Edmonds 1959 11.70—1; Kassel-Austin 1991 11.265; Sanchis Llopis
et al. 2007. 265
Title This is the only known play with this title. The title is clearly a personal
name, but to whom it refers, and whether that person is real or fictional, is
unknown. Meineke 1839 1.373 tentatively suggested a connection with the
obscure comic poet Sosippus (LGPNII s. v. #28); but he is very poorly attested
and, since he seems to have been a contemporary of Diphilus, is probably
too late to have been mentioned by Anaxandrides.112 Breitenbach 1908. 43-4,
rightly dismissing Meineke’s suggestion, instead thought of the Sosippus who
was an Olympic victor in 388/7 BC (PA 13271; PAA 863320; LGPNII s. v. #26;
Moretti 1957 #382). Breitenbach himself notes that it is unclear if this man
was an Athenian, although his nationality is not necessarily relevant; a more
compelling objection is that he achieved fame a decade before Anaxandrides
began to write plays, and there is no reason to think that he remained relevant
in the popular imagination. LGPNII s. v. #2 are rightly more cautious and label
the eponymous hero of the play fictitious. This may be correct, but Sosippus
is not the sort of speaking-name expected in such a circumstance, and the
reference may be to a prominent contemporary (LGPNII record 13 occurrences
of the name, excluding the Olympic victor, the poet, and the eponym of this
play, in Athens in the fourth century).113
Content of the comedy Little can be said about the content. The lone word
that survives could suggest epic parody, but even if this is true, such parody
need not have involved more than a line or two. Similarly, the possible ref-
erents of the title are too varied and speculative to allow for any substantive
larger comment.
Date Unknown.

112 Sosippus is known only from Ath. 4.133f, where doubt is expressed as to whether
Diph. fr. 18 belongs to the Άπολείπουσα of Diphilus or of Sosippus (but note the
absence of such doubt at Diph. fr. 17, quoted at Ath. 4.132c-e); Meineke 1839
1.452-3 thus hesitantly suggested emending Sosippus to Poseidippus, although
Poseidippus is not otherwise known to have written an Άπολείπουσα.
113 Even if the title refers to a contemporary, the reference may be oblique and so does
not necessarily imply the existence of a Sosippus who is mocked in this play; cf.
the possibility that Lysistrata in Ar. Lys. refers to or was modeled on the priestess
Lysimache (cf. Henderson 1987. xxxviii-xl).