Λάκωνες (Lakdnes)
(“Spartans”)

119

Introduction
Discussion Runkel 1829. 134; Meineke 1839 1.115; Kaibel 1907 p. 1231.10-11
Title Plays entitled Lakdnes were written by Cratinus (supposedly; only
one fragment survives), Plato Comicus (called Lakdnes e Poietai by the
Suda), Nicochares and Eubulus (Lakdnes e Leda). For similar titles, cf. Crates’
Samioi (“Samians”), Cratinus’ Seriphioi (“Men of Seriphos”), Apollophanes’
and Nicochares’ Kretes (“Cretans”) and Strattis’ Makedones e Pausanias
(“Macedonians or Pausanias”).
Content Every other comedy by Eupolis except the utterly vanished Nou-
meniai (where see n.) is represented by a least half a dozen fragments. It is
accordingly difficult to believe that we have only a single trace of Lakdnes,
particularly since Erotian’s “Eupolis” might easily be a mistake for “Eubulus”
in Erotian’s citation of [fr. 191] (Meineke’s explanation of the situation) or έν
Λάκωσι might have been written for έν Κόλαξι (thus Runkel).
Fragments
[fr. 191 K.-A. (179 K.)]
τά σκευάρι’ έποίησε μυττωτόν πολύν
σκευαρι Erot. : συκαρι Erot.
he/she turned the equipment into a lot of myttdtos
Erot. μ 4
μυττωτόν- οί μέν Αττικοί ύπότριμμά τι μετά σκορόδου γινόμενον λέγουσι. Ευπολις δ’
έν Λάκωσι τό άμυλον λέγων φησί--. ένιοι δε πλακούντα διά λαχάνου συντεθέντα
myttdtos: Attic authors use the word for a type of paste made with garlic. Whereas
Eupolis in Lakdnes speaking in reference to a wheat-pastecake says:-. But others
[say] it is a cake composed of vegetables

Meter lambic trimeter.