11

Introduction
1. Name/Identity
The surviving data about Amp his is scarce. A brief lemma in Suda (Tl) informs
us about his profession as a comic playwright and his Athenian origin. Apart
from Suda’s testimony, the proper name Αμφις is otherwise unattested in
Attica, bar a single Attic inscription of the fourth century BC (T2), which
honours a person called Άνφις (sic) originating from the island of Andros (cf.
PCG 2,213). Combining these two pieces of information, both Kirchner (PA 785
+ add.) and Traill (PAA 126100, 126105) envisage the possibility of identifying
Suda’s comic poet with the Andrian citizen. This is a reasonable hypothesis;
still, Αμφις can be a hypocoristic of Άμφικράτης, which is a common Attic
name; see further discussion under Tl and T2.
Outside Attica the name Αμφις occurs in two inscriptions from the island
of Tenos (which is adjacent to Andros), dating from the third century BC
(LGPN 1,35).

2. Chronology/Career
All that can be said with certainty is that Amphis was a Middle Comedy
playwright, who flourished during the first half of the fourth century BC and,
possibly, during the third quarter of that century too; but no secure dates for
his floruit can be established. We have good reason to believe that at least
one of his plays was performed in southern Italy (cf. fr. 40 “Interpretation”).
Pollux - indirectly - lists him among the Middle Comedy poets, when he
says (7.17): άλείπτριαν είρήκασιν oi μέσοι κωμικοί ... Άμφιδος δε καί δράμα
έστιν Άλείπτρια (the female term “anointress” was used by the Middle Comedy
poets... and there is also a play by Amphis called “The Anointress”; cf. Nesselrath
1990: 59). Unfortunately, within the surviving evidence Amphis is nowhere
recorded as being victorious in any dramatic festival. The only evidence on
which we may cautiously rely for dating his career are the references he
makes to certain well-known contemporary figures, such as the philosopher
Plato and a number of hetairai. For example, Webster (1952: 17-18) favours
a date in the 350s BC for the production of Amphis’ Δεξιδημίδης on account
of a reference to Plato; and Nesselrath (1990: 197) dates the play Κουρίς some
time after the year 350 BC, on the basis of the references to numerous hetairai,
such as the famous Phryne.