306

Eupolis

worked as a porter (fr. 171.73-4), and Telecleides’ claim that Charicles (another
member of the Thirty) was a supposititious child (fr. 44.1-2).

fr. 252 K.-A. (238 K.)
Σ1 λΔ Luc. Tim. 30 (p. 115.5-8 Rabe)
(Υπερβάλω) Κρατΐνος δέ έν'Ώραις (fr. 283) ώς παρελθόντος νέου τώ βήματι μέμνηται
καί παρ’ ήλικίαν καί Αριστοφάνης Σφηξί (cf. 1007) καί Εΰπολις Πόλεσι
(Hyperboles) Cratinus in Horai (fr. 283) mentions him as approaching the speaker’s
stand as a young man and at an inappropriate age, as do Aristophanes in Wasps (cf.
1007) and Eupolis in Poleis
Citation context From a richly informed biographical note—likely drawn
from a catalogue of komoidoumenoi—on Lucian’s reference to the personified
Wealth’s fear of bumping into Cleon or Hyperboles in Attica, which also
preserves Polyzel. fr. 5; Pl. Com. fr. 185. Aristophanes mentions Hyperbolos’
deceptions at V. 1007, but makes no reference to his youth there or anywhere
else in the play. Ar. Pax 680-1 describes Hyperbolos specifically as an orator
on the Pnyx, although again without raising the issue of his age.
Interpretation For Hyperbolos son of Antiphanes of the deme Perithoidai
(PA 13910; PAA 902050), see general introduction to Marikas. That Hyperbolos
served on the Council in 421 BCE seems likely from Pl. Com. fr. 182, so he
must have been born in 451 BCE or earlier, and his father was supposedly alive
and working in the state mint after 420 BCE (And. fr. 5 Blass), suggesting that
Hyperbolos himself was still relatively young at that point. Cratinus’ Horai
is undated, but can scarcely be any later than Poleis. Nothing else is known
about the date of Hyperbolos’ birth, however, and Cratinus and Eupolis may
both merely have referred to him as a νεανίσκος (fr. 367 n.), i. e. as supposedly
too young to be involved in politics even if he was already in his 40s, like
Lamachus at Ar. Ach. 601 with Olson 2002 ad loc. Hyperbolos was ostracized
sometime around 416 BCE—which does not necessarily mean that Poleis dates
before that, since this might be a retrospective remark. See in general Davies
1971. 517, with further bibliography.