Introduction

15

the fourth century BC; see Trendall (21967) 54-55 no. 86, Trendall & Webster
(1971) iv.30, Webster & Green (31978) 135, Taplin (1993) 79-88.
Besides myth, manual professions also attracted the interest of Amphis,
as one can deduce from the fact that there is a distinct category of banau-
sic play-titles: Αλείπτρια (The Anointress), Αμπελουργός {The Vinedresser),
Έριθοι {The Day-Labourers), Κονιατής {The Plasterer), and Κουρίς {The Maid-
in-Waiting). A reasonable assumption is that these five plays largely reflected
contemporary daily life.
A major comic trend that intermittently emerges in Amphis’ corpus is the
comic utopia (featuring ample and continuous provision of goods, αγαθά, and
automation). Although this trend is unattested outside Old Comedy, manifes-
tations of it are detected in four fragments of Amphis: frr. 9, 28, 38 and 43. See
the analysis of each fragment, and especially fr. 28 ( “Interpretation”).

5. Komodoumenoi
i) The philosopher Plato is mentioned twice: fr. 6 (Αμφικράτης) and fr. 13
(Δεξιδημίδης).
ii) The hetairai Sinope, Lyca, and Nannion are mentioned once: fr. 23 (Κουρίς).
iii) The hetaira Phryne is mentioned once: fr. 24 (Κουρίς).

6. Language
In general, Amphis exhibits a penchant for the unusual. To begin with, his sur-
viving corpus features a total of ten hapax terms1: (i) the noun όλβιογάστωρ
{one who finds bliss in eating, a belly-god; fr. 10.2: όλβιογάστωρ), (ii) the verb
εύκυβέω {be lucky with the dice; fr. 11: εύκυβεΐν), (iii) the verb άνατριαινόω {to
shake as if with a trident; fr. 14.8: άνατριαινώσει), (iv) the adjective ραχιστός
{split into two; fr. 16.1: ραχιστά), (v) the noun σκιραφευτής {dice-player, fr. 25:
σκιραφευτήν), (vi) the noun μίνδαξ {a kind of incense; fr. 27.3: μίνδακα), (vii)
the diminutive γλαυκινίδιον {tiny glaukos-fish; fr. 35.2: γλαυκινιδίου), (viii) the
adjective διαπαρθένιος {deflowering; fr. 48: διαπαρθένια δώρα), (ix) the adjec-
tive παράκομος {with flowing hair, fr. 49: παρακόμους), and (x) the play-title

1 I use the notion of “hapax” in its wider sense, applying it also to those cases where
terms coined and first used by Amphis feature in later lexicographic sources (e. g.
Pollux, Hesychius, etc.) as lemmata that are being interpreted.