180
Αύτόλυκος α β
(“Autolykos I and Π”)
Testimonia
test, i
Ath. 5.216c-d
πάντ’ ούν ψεύδονται οί φιλόσοφοι καί πολλά παρά τούς χρόνους γρά-
φοντες ούκ αισθάνονται, καθάπερ ούδ’ ό καλός Ξενοφών, δς έν τω Συμποσίω
(1.2) υποτίθεται Καλλίαν τον Ίππονίκου Αύτολύκου τοΰ Λύκωνος έρώντα
καί νενικηκότος αύτοϋ παγκράτιον έστίασιν ποιούμενον καί συν τοϊς
άλλοις δαιτυμόσι παρόντα <(αύτόν} τον ίσως μηδέ γεννηθέντα ή περί τήν
παιδικήν ήλικίαν ύπάρχοντα. έστίν δε ούτος ό καιρός καθ’ δν Άριστίων
άρχων ήν (421/0 BCE). επί τούτου γάρ Εϋπολις τον Αύτόλυκον διδάξας διά
Δημοστράτου χλευάζει τήν νίκην τοΰ Αύτολύκου
The philosophers thus lie about everything and fail to realize that much of
what they write is full of anachronisms. The noble Xenophon is unaware
of this, for example, in his Symposium (1.2), where he represents Callias
the son of Hipponicus as in love with Autolykos the son of Lykon and as
giving a feast for him after he won the pankration, and represents <himself>
as present along with the other dinner-guests, although he may well not
have been born yet or was only a boy. This is the period when Aristion was
eponymous archon (421/0 BCE); because it was in the archonship of this man
that Eupolis in staging his Autolykos, using Demostratos as producer, makes
fun of Autolykos’ victory
Context Apparently drawn from Herodicus of Babylon’s To the Man Who
Likes Socrates (Duering p. 20; late 2nd century BCE), a brutal and highly efficient
demonstration of the weakness and self-contradictory nature of the supposed
historical underpinnings of Plato’s presentation of Socrates in particular. The
chronological information is likely drawn from official city records through
Aristotle’s Didaskaliai, to which Herodicus must have had access in the
Library in Pergamum, presumably along with the text of Eupolis’ play itself.
Interpretation Portions of this testimonium to Autolykos are also presented
as test. 13d; 15, and as [fr. 63). The only substantial information about Eupolis’
play offered by Herodicus, other than the didaskalic details, is that it mocked
Autolykos’ victory, a point for which we have no other certain evidence in
the fragments.