38

Eupolis

The oldest and best manuscript of the Suda is A, whose readings are gener-
ally to be preferred when it diverges from the recentiores, as in the other two
variants (neither of any interpretative significance) here.
Discussion Kaibel 1907 p. 1230.22-36; Körte 1912. 312; Storey 2003. 52-4, 59
Interpretation The entry begins in a typical fashion, with the poet’s name
followed by that of his father (Wagner element a), his ethnikon (Wagner ele-
ment b) and his genre, here without reference to period (Wagner element c);
cf. Suda k 2344 = Cratin. test. 1 Κρατΐνος, Καλλιμήδους, Αθηναίος, κωμικός
(“Cratinus, son of Callimedes, an Athenian, a comic poet”); v 406 = Nicophon
test. 1 Νικοφών Θήρωνος, Αθηναίος, κωμικός (“Nicophon, son of Theron, an
Athenian, a comic poet”); v 407 = Nicoch. test. 1 Νικοχάρης, Φιλωνίδου τού
κωμικού, Αθηναίος, κωμικός (“Nicochares, son of the comic poet Philonides,
an Athenian, a comic poet”). The mention of the number of plays and victories
(Wagner element e) and the list of titles (Wagner element g) are also stan-
dard items; cf. Suda κ 2339 = Crates Com. test. 1 δράματα δέ αύτού είσιν ζ'·
Γείτονες, Ήρωες, Θηρία, Λάμια, Πεδήται, Σάμιοι (“There are seven plays by
him: Geitones, Heroes, Lheria, Lamia, Pedetai, Samioi”); Suda κ 2344 = Cratin.
test. 1 έγραψε δέ δράματα κα', ένίκησε δέ θ' (“he wrote 21 plays and was
victorious nine times”); Suda φ 457 = Philyll. test. 1; Suda π 1708 = Pl. Com.
test. 1; Suda σ 1178 = Strati, test. 1; Suda σ 93 = Sannyrio test. 1; Suda a 1982 =
Anaxandr. test. 1 έγραψε δέ δράματα ξε', ένίκησε δέ ι' (“he wrote 65 plays and
was victorious ten times”). The list of plays is generally organized alphabet-
ically, and Αίγες, Αστράτευτος ή Άνδρόγυνοι—the first two titles of Eupolis’
plays in alphabetical order—must thus be the beginning of a comprehensive
catalogue that has been abbreviated by the editors of the Suda; cf. Suda θ
171 = Theopomp. Com. test. 1 έδίδαξε δράματα κδ’. ... δράματα δέ αύτού είσί
(...) καί άλλα πολλά (“he presented 24 plays ... His plays are (...) and many
others”), and see above on Citation context.
The references to Eupolis’ age when he staged his first play and to the
time and manner of his death frame his agonistic record and convert it into
something resembling a brief life history. Wagner 1905. 34 implicitly treats
the additional material as serving a primarily chronological function (his
element d; more often an Olympiad date or a synchronization with another,
better known figure). But the information that follows regarding a supposed
prohibition on poets participating in military expeditions after Eupolis’ death
embeds his story in the history of the genre as a whole. The obvious source is
a more substantial Life like that of Aristophanes (test. 1), although no other
firm evidence for this survives. Cf. the material on Cratinus’ death in his test.
2a.6-9 (from the same source as Eup. test. 2a).