36

Δήλος (Delos)
(“Delos”)

Discussion Meineke III (1840) 591; Kock II (1884) 452 ; Bevilacqua 1939,47-9;
PCG VII (1989) 756-7.
Title Titles associated with Δήλος are Philostephanus’ Δήλιος, Cratinus’
Δηλιάδες and (possibly) Antiphanes’ and Sophilus’ Δηλία (cf. Ar. fr. 938).
Meineke III (1840) 591 notes for Timocles’ play “rectius fortasse Δήλιος”. Given
Philostephanus’ title and other comic titles containing ethnic names (see below),
this suggestion is attractive, although not definitive. For islands as comedy titles
cf. Demetrius’ Σικελία, Plato’s Ελλάς ή Νήσοι and Amphis’ Λεύκάς.48 Other re-
levant titles are Λήμνιαι (Aristophanes, Antiphanes, Nicochares and Diphilus);
Σαμία (Anaxandrides and Menander); Ζακύνθιος (Antiphanes); Κύπριος (Alexis);
Λημνία (Alexis); Σικελικός (Philemon and Diphilus).
In the fourth century, Delos was a place of both religious and political impor-
tance. Concerning the relations between Athens and Delos, from 394 BC onwards
Athens had control of the island and the temple of Apollo, but sometime in the
340s (probably about 345-3 BC) the Delians attempted to regain the administra-
tion of the sanctuary and a conflict arose between them and the Athenians. In this
debate Hyperides was appointed spokesman by the Areopagus to represent the
Athenian position (probably before the Amphictyonic Council at Delphi), instead
of Aeschines who was initially elected; cf. D. 18.134; [Phi.] Vit. dec. Or. 850a και
έστιν ό λόγος Δηλιακός έπιγεγραμμένος (Hyp. fir. 67—75 Jensen). Hyperides
apparently won the case and the Athenians retained control of the sanctuary. It
was in this speech that Hyperides, in his effort to associate his city with Delos, said
that when Leto was pregnant with Zeus’ children, she was pursued by Hera and
took refuge in Attica, in a place where she loosened her girdle on the spot called
Zoster (fr. 67 Jensen; cf. schol. ad Arist. 1.157 Dindorf). In addition, throughout
the classical period Delos was a site of ritual and sacrifice.49 On festivals at Delos
cf. Th. 3.104; Arist. Ath. Pol. 54.7; Plu. Nic. 3.5-8; Laidlaw 1933, 45-50; on Delos
in the fourth century cf. Rhodes 1981, 693-5 (on Ath. Pol. 62.2); as εύοψος αγορά
and a good supply of cooks cf. Crito Com. fr. 3.7; Dalby 2013, 114.
Content The surviving fragment contains personal satire against well-known
anti-Macedonians. This satire might be either central or peripheral to the plot.
Given Timocles’ inclination to political satire and onomasti komoidein, especially

48 Meineke also wanted to correct Amphis’ play Λεύκάς to Λευκαδία, but cf. Papachryso-
stomou 2016, 163-4.
49 However, although the anti-Macedonian Hyperides is one of the komoidoumenoi of
this fragment, the political ambiance of those events and the relevant “Delian” speech
are unlikely to have been mentioned in the context of the Harpalus affair, some twenty
years later.