308

Eupolis

the Thirty and died sometime before Socrates’ trial in 399 BCE; his brother
Chaerecrates accordingly spoke there on his behalf (Pl. Ap. 21a). Chaerephon’s
pale complexion is remarked on also at Ar. Nu. 501-4; V. 1412-14 (called
θάψινος ~ “yellow”, the color produced by a dye made from the Venetian
sumac or European smoketree (Cotinus coggyrgia, Rhus cotinus)) and is likely
the point of calling him “Bat” at Ar. Av. 1564 (cf. Ar. Av. 1296; fr. 584 with
Delneri 2006. 113-15): he looked like he never went out in the sun.146
πύξινον The box—the English name is cognate with Greek πύξος via
Latin buxus—is a small, slow-growing evergreen bush or shrub with close-
grained, pale white wood used for fine work of all sorts (and today employed
unstained to produce white chess pieces); cf. Thphr. HP 1.5.4-5; 5.3.1, 7; 5.5.2,
4; 5.7.8, and for small objects made of box-wood e. g. Ar. fr. 879; Archipp. fr. 13
(a salt cellar); Pl. Com. fr. 33 (a bed-frame); Anaxandr. fr. 14 (an artist’s palette)
with Millis 2015 ad loc.; Record 1921; Warnock and Pendleton 1991. 108-10.
The adjective is attested already in Homer (II. 24.269; part of a mule-collar).

fr. 254 K.-A. (240 K.)
Σεγ Ar. Ach. 504
εις δέ τά Διονύσια έτέτακτο Άθήναζε κομίζειν τάς πόλεις τούς φόρους, ώς Εϋπολίς
φησιν έν Πόλεσιν
But the cities were required to bring their tribute to Athens at the Dionysia
festival, as Eupolis says in Poleis
Citation context A gloss on αυτοί γάρ έσμεν (“we are alone”; addressed to
the audience) at Ar. Ach. 504 and explaining that the Lenaia took place in the
winter, sc. when travel by sea was difficult, and that visitors tended instead to
be present for the City Dionysia (celebrated in April or so). Related—and more
expansive—remarks to the same effect are offered at ΣΚΕΓ Ach. 378 as part of an
explanation of why Cleon supposedly attempted to prosecute Aristophanes
in connection with Babylonioi: τή των Διονυσίων εορτή, ήτις έν τω έαρι
έπιτελεΐται, έν ώ έφερον τούς φόρους οί σύμμαχοι τά δέ Λήναια έν τω
μετοπώρω ήγετο, έν οίς ού παρήσαν οί ξένοι (“the Dionysia festival, which is

146 At Ar. Nu. 103-4 everyone in the Phrontisterion, including Socrates and Chaere-
phon, is said to be pale (τούς ώχριώντας ... / ών ό κακοδαίμων Σωκράτης καί
Χαιρεφών), i. e. from lack of sunlight (cf. Nu. 119-20, 184-6). But Chaerephon s
pallor is patently something peculiar to himself.