217
Ποντικός (Pontikos)
(“The Man from Pontus”)
Discussion Meineke I (1839) 330,431; Bevilacqua 1939, 30; PCG VII (1989) 776.
Title The same title occurs in Antiphanes, Alexis and Epigenes. Other ethnic’ tit-
les are Diphilus’ and Philemon’s Σικελικός; for titles in -ικός cf. Alexis’Έρετρικός,
which, however, may denote a follower of the philosopher Menedemus; cf. Arnott
1996, 224. For titles denoting non-Greek nations cf. on Timocles’ Αιγύπτιοι and
Καύνιοι.
The best-known Pontikos in fourth-century Athens by far was the philoso-
pher and astronomer Heracleides from Heraclea of Pontus (ca 390-310 BC), a
distinguished Platonist, who was sent to Athens by his father. He is sometimes
mentioned by Athenaeus.
Content The surviving fragment does not offer any indication of the plot. The
title, however, might suggest a man from Pontus as resident in Athens, perhaps a
merchant of salt-fish, for which Pontus was so famous (e. g. Cratin. fr. 44 [from
Dionysalexandros] έν σαργάνοισιν I άξω ταρίχους Ποντικούς [with Bianchi 2015,
273]; Poll. 6.48 ταρίχη Ποντικά). It maybe worth noting that in Timocl. frr. 15,16
and 23 are satirized Chaerephilus’ sons, who were naturalized metics and imported
salt-fish, perhaps from Pontus; cf. on fr. 15, s.v. σκόμβρος.
An alternative scenario would be based on the Athenian inclination to ridicule
men from Pontus as naive or stupid; cf. Macho fr. 16.327-332 Gow Λέγουσι
Ποντικόν τι μειρακύλλιον I άναπαυόμενον μετά τής Γναθαίνης άξιοΰν / πρωί
γενόμενον ώστε την πυγήν άπαξ / αύτω παρασχεΐν, τήν δε τοϋτ’ είπεϊν Τάλαν, /
έπειτα τήν πυγήν με νυν αιτείς δτε / τάς ύς έπι νομήν καιρός έστιν έξάγειν; “It
is said that a young boy from Pontus was sleeping with Gnathaena, and when
it was daylight, he asked her to have anal sex with her just once. She answered
the following: “Poor dear, you are asking me for my ass now, when it is the time
to drive the pigs out to feed?”; Men. Sam. 98-9 Πόντος· παχεϊς γέροντες, Ιχθύς
άφθονοι, / αηδία τις πραγμάτων “Pontos! Nothing but fat old men, heaps of fish
and boring business affairs!”; Euc. Alex. 17; D.L. 6.3; Meineke 1839, 330; Arnott
1996, 573 (on Alexis’ Pontikos').
Date Unknown.

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