168

Eupolis

Text μιμούμενος may have been supplied by ΣΜ rather than omitted by all
the others, but some verbal element is needed to account for accusative λόγον.
Interpretation Although the scholion shows that Eupolis occasionally used
prose in his plays, none of his words have been preserved, and the passage
would have been better categorized as a testimonium rather than a fragment.
Prose, always adapting or parodying official public speech of one type or
another, appears in comedy also at Ach. 43 (an Assembly-formula), 61 (an-
nouncement by the Assembly herald), 123 (remark by the Assembly herald),
237 = 241 (requests for ritual silence); Pax 433-4 (ritual cries); Av. 864-88 (par-
ody of prayer), 1035-6,1040-2 (mock decrees), 1046-7 (an indictment), 1661-6
(a law of Solon); Th. 295-311 (parody of prayer); Archipp. fr. 27 (parody of a
peace treaty). Given the consistency of this pattern, the obvious conclusion is
that Eupolis used it in such settings as well.
έστι δέ πολλά καί παρ’ Εύπόλιδι σεσημειωμένα refers to the com-
mentary tradition on the poet, for which see test. 48 with n.

fr. 402 K.-A. (369 K.)
ZR Ar. Th. 828
(στρατιά) συνέχεεν καί ούτος, ώς Εϋπολις πολλάκις· στρατιά μέν γάρ τό πλήθος,
στρατεία δέ ή στράτευσις
(siraiid) This author too confused matters, as Eupolis often did; because a stratih is
a group of men, whereas a strateia is an expedition
Discussion Fritzsche 1838. 322; Meineke 1839 11.568; Kock 1880 i.356
Assignment to known plays Taken by Fritzsche to be a scholiast’s remark
on τής στρατιάς at fr. 35.2, from Astrateutoi, although (as Meineke noted)
στρατιά there patently refers to the body of men who took part in the expe-
dition.
Citation context A lexicographic gloss on Ar. Th. 827-9 πολλοϊς δ’ έτέροις
από των ώμων / έν ταϊς στρατιαϊς / έρριπται τό σκιάδειον (“from the shoul-
ders of many other (husbands) during their campaigns the parasol has been
thrown”), a riddling reference to hoplites discarding their shields and running
away from battle.
Interpretation As LSJ s. v. στρατεία 5, citing this fragment (but not Thesmo-
phoriazusae itself) and inscriptional evidence, observes, στρατιά “is sometimes
undoubtedly used = στρατεία (campaign)... but στρατεία = army, expedition-
ary force is very rare”. At least in the case of Th. 828—and likely in the case