Damon ( grc-gre, Δάμων, ''gen''.: Δάμωνος), son of Damonides, was a Greek musicologist of the fifth century BC. He belonged to the

Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century BC and ear ...

of Oē (sometimes spelled "Oa"). He is credited as teacher and advisor of

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelop ...

Music

Damon's expertise was supposed to be

musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

, though some believed this was a cover for a broader influence over

' political policy. For instance, Damon is said to have been responsible for advising Pericles to institute the policy of paying jurors for their service; this policy was widely criticized, and Damon is said to have been

ostracized Ostracism ( el, ὀστρακισμός, ''ostrakismos'') was an Athenian democratic procedure in which any citizen could be expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed popular anger at the citi ...

for it (see the Aristotelian '' Athenaion Politeia''), probably sometime in last third of the 5th century BCE.

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

invokes Damon many times in the ''

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

'' as the musical expert to be deferred to concerning the details of rhythmical education. In Plato's '' Laches'', Damon is said to have been a student of

Prodicus Prodicus of Ceos (; grc-gre, Πρόδικος ὁ Κεῖος, ''Pródikos ho Keios''; c. 465 BC – c. 395 BC) was a Greek philosopher, and part of the first generation of Sophists. He came to Athens as ambassador from Ceos, and became known a ...

and of Agathocles. The former was an unabashed

sophist A sophist ( el, σοφιστής, sophistes) was a teacher in ancient Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Sophists specialized in one or more subject areas, such as philosophy, rhetoric, music, athletics, and mathematics. They taught ...

, while the latter is said (in Plato's ''

Protagoras Protagoras (; el, Πρωταγόρας; )Guthrie, p. 262–263. was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and rhetorical theorist. He is numbered as one of the sophists by Plato. In his dialogue '' Protagoras'', Plato credits him with inventing the ...

'') to have used musical expertise as a front for being a sophist.

Damonides

The extant texts of the Aristotelian ''Constitution of the Athenians'' mention Damonides as an advisor to

. The mention there of "Damonides" is now almost universally considered an editorial slip of pen, where the original text read "Damon, son of Damonides" instead.P. Rhodes, 1981, ''Commentary on the Aristotelian "Athenaion Politeia"'', p. 341 This seems to be confirmed by ''

ostraka An ostracon (Greek: ''ostrakon'', plural ''ostraka'') is a piece of pottery, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In an archaeological or epigraphical context, ''ostraca'' refer to sherds or even small pieces of ston ...

'' that have been recovered and that bear the name "Damon son of Damonides".

References

;Sources * A. J. Podlecki, 1997, ''Perikles and His Circle'', Routledge. * Robert W. Wallace, The Sophists in Athens, Harvard University Press, 1998. * Robert W. Wallace, Reconstructing Damon: Music, Wisdom Teaching, and Politics in Pericles' Athens, Oxford 2015. {{Authority control Ancient Greek musicologists Ostracized Athenians 5th-century BC Athenians Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown

Music

Damonides

See also

References