Έπιστολαί (Epistolai)
(“Letters”)

91

Discussion Meineke III (1840) 596-7; Kock II (1884) 453-4; Edmonds II (1959)
608-9; PCG VII (1989) 762.
Title Alexis and Macho wrote’EmoToXr], Euthycles Άσωτοι ή Επιστολή, Caecilius
Statius and Afranius Epistulam. The plural in the title may denote either several
epistles (see below, “Content”), or a single letter, like γράμματα, lat. litterae; cf. E. IA
111,314; Th. 1.132; LSJ s. v. έπιστολή 2. Letters played an important role, especially
in New Comedy, contributing to the recognition of a character (e. g. Menander’s
Sikyonioi, where Stratophanes learns that he is an Athenian citizen thanks to a let-
ter written by his stepmother on her deathbed), or to the communication between
a lover and his mistress, or to confidence tricks (e. g. Plautus’ Bacchides, Curculio,
Persa, Pseudolus, Trinummus)·, for its possible uses in comedy cf. Konstantakos
2015, 16. In Timocles, other titles signifying a recognition token are Δακτύλιος
and (perhaps) Δρακόντιον (see my commentary on these plays).
Content This may be a play where an anagnorisis takes place by means of letters.
The plural might signify two contradictory epistles, one forged and one authentic,
on the model of Plautus’ Pseudolus. Moreover, the plot apparently involves a no-
torious spendthrift (Demotion in fr. 9.1; it is striking that a play entitled Άσωτοι
ήΈπιστολή is attested in Euthecles), an amator exclusus (cf. fr. 10), and the typical
parasite (fr. 9.3 Chaerephon; cf. also the mention of Tithymallus and Corydus in
fr. 10).
A typical epistle play’ including some of the above elements is Plautus’
Curculio. This play contains a love affair (the adulescens Phaedromus is in love
with the courtesan Planesium), deception and anagnorisis. More specifically, the
cunning eponymous parasite, in his attempt to secure the courtesan Planesium for
his master Phaedromus, forges a letter with Iherapontigonus’ signet ring (for the
epistolary parasite’ in Plautus cf. in particular Barbiero 2014,147-182). Moreover,
in the opening scene of the play Phaedromus serenades the door of the brothel, in
the earliest extant paraklausithyron in Latin poetry.
Another striking piece of information deserves a mention here, since notorious
parasites are referred to in both surviving fragments of Timocles’ play. Whereas
epistolary activity by a parasite is common in recognition comedies, it seems that
the emblematic parasite Chaerephon, who is mentioned in fr. 9 as Demotion’s pa-
rasite, was probably himself a composer of letters on food and dinners. More spe-
cifically, a short prose essay describing a lavish dinner was supposedly written by
him in the form of a letter addressed to a fellow parasite, with whom Chaerephon
is said to have frequent correspondence. The title of this letter was Δεΐπνον, and
it was included in Callimachus’ Pinakes (Call. fr. 434 Pfeiffer); cf. Ath. 6.245f τού
Χαιρεφώντος και σύγγραμμα αναγράφει Καλλίμαχος έν τω των παντοδαπών
πίνακι γράφων ούτως · ‘δείπνα όσοι έγραψαν· Χαιρεφών Κυρηβίωνι.’ είθ’ έξης τήν