24

Eupolis

- Phormio the 6th-century archon (PA 14948; PAA 962785): fr. 138
- Phrynis (PAA 965030; Stephanis #2583) the musician: apparently a char-
acter in Demoi (test. *viii)
- Phrynondas the notorious villain (PA 15033; PAA 966050): frr. 45; 139
- Pindar the epinician poet: fr. 398
- Protagoras of Abdera the sophist (PAA 790895): frr. 157a; 158
- “Rhodia” the wife of Lykon: referred to obliquely in frr. 58; 232; 295
- Simon the embezzler of public funds (PA 12686; PAA 822065): fr. 235
- Simonides of Ceos the elegiac poet: fr. 148.1
- Socrates (PA 13101; PAA 856500) son of Sophroniscus: frr. 386; 395
- Solon (PA 12806; PAA 827640) son of Exekestides: fr. 99.47, and a character
in Demoi
- Stesichorus of Himera the lyric poet: frr. 148.1; 395.2
- Stilbides the seer and oracle-monger (PAA 835500): fr. 225.2
- Syrakosios (PA 13041; PAA 853435): frr. 220; 259.72/259f
- Theogenes or Theagenes (PA 6703; PAA 504040): frr. 99.5-10; 135
- Theramenes (PA 7234; PAA 513930): fr. 251
- Xanthias the iron-worker (PAA 730220 add.): fr. 283
Note also
- Adeimantos (PA 202; PAA 107965) son of Leukolophides: the speaker of
fr. 224
- Aristides “the Just” (PA 1695; PAA 165170) son of Lysimachos: referenced
in fr. *127, and seemingly a central character in Demoi
This appears to be a typical collection of comic kdmdidoumenoi, consisting
mostly of politicians alive and deceased, poets and other entertainers, busi-
nessmen and well-known men about town.20 While a number of these indi-
viduals were still alive after 411 BCE, none need be dated exclusively to that
period. The prosopographic evidence is thus consistent with the idea that
Eupolis died at the Battle of Cynosema (see Section 2), even if it cannot be
taken to prove the thesis correct.

6. Language

Anon, de Com. Ill (= test. 2a) describes Eupolis as “powerful in his diction”;
claims that he imitated Cratinus; and asserts that “he exhibits a great deal
of abuse and crudity”. Platonius Prolegomena de comoedia II (= test. 34), by

20

See in general Sommerstein 1996b.