18

Commentary
Testimonia

test. 1
Sud. a 1760
Αμφις, κωμικός, Αθηναίος.
Amphis, a comic playwright, an Athenian.
Suda2 explicitly describes the comic poet Amphis as an Athenian; however,
the name Αμφις is otherwise unattested in Attica (even outside Attica it occurs
only twice, in two inscriptions from the island of Tenos; LGPN 1,35). Yet Suda’s
claim is probably to be taken seriously, particularly since the name Αμφις can
be a hypocoristic form of Αμφικράτης (Kaibel, RE 1.2,1953-4, s.v. Amphis
nr. 2),3 which is widely attested in Attica (seven entries in PA and eleven
entries in PAA), as well as elsewhere (fifteen entries in LGPN 1,34 from Delos,
Euboea, Samos, and Thasos). See further Meineke l,403f.

test. 2
ZGII3 347. 1, 11-22:
[επί Ν]ικήτου άρχοντας
[έ]πειδή Αν epic Δι...
[... A]v5pioc διατελεϊ ε[υνο]-
[uc ών <ώ]ν> τώι δήμωι τώι Αθ[ηνα]-
[ίων κα]ί νϋν καί έν τώ(ι) παρ[ελη]-
[λυθό]τι χρόνωι, δεδόχθαι [τώι]
[δήμωι] έπαινέεαι Άνφιν [Δι.]

2 Regarding Suda’s entries on Attic comic poets in general see the discussion by Orth
(2013) 18-20.
3 One of Amphis’ plays is entitled Αμφικράτης (Amphicrates), a title that can be
interpreted in various ways, one of which is to recognise the poet himself behind
the title-figure; see comm, ad loc. The shortening of Amphicrates to the hypocoristic
Amphis is perhaps to be understood as a formation parallel to the case of the
cognate names Τελεσικλής (Telesikles) and Τέλλις (Tellis), Archilochus’ father and
grandfather respectively.