Crates ( el, Κράτης) was an Athenian Old Comic poet, who was victorious three times at the

City Dionysia The Dionysia (, , ; Greek: Διονύσια) was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies. It was the s ...

, first probably in 450 BC. His career had apparently ended by 424 BC, when

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his for ...

portrays him in ''

The Knights ''The Knights'' ( grc, Ἱππεῖς ''Hippeîs''; Attic: ) was the fourth play written by Aristophanes, who is considered the master of an ancient form of drama known as Old Comedy. The play is a satire on the social and political life of cla ...

'' as a figure from the past. Before he began writing, he was an actor for

Cratinus Cratinus ( grc-gre, Κρατῖνος; 519 BC – 422 BC) was an Athenian comic poet of the Old Comedy. Life Cratinus was victorious 27 known times, eight times at the City Dionysia, first probably in the mid-to-late 450s BCE (IG II2 2325. 50), ...

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

claims in the '' Poetics'' that Crates was the first comic poet to create complete plots, rather than personal abuse, and his surviving fragments support this. His style of comedy was apparently therefore rather different from that of Aristophanes' more political and topical works, and by the end of the fourth century BC this was the dominant style of comedy.} He was also supposedly the first Athenian comic poet to write a drunk character. Sixty fragments (four uncertain) survive. According to the SudaCrates, Test. 1 and an anonymous writer on comedy, he wrote seven plays; another source says eight. Eleven titles are attributed to him: *''Geitones'' ("Neighbours") *''Eortai'' ("Feasts") *''Heroes'' ("Heroes") *''Theria'' ("Wild Beasts") *''Lamia'' ("

Lamia LaMia Corporation S.R.L., operating as LaMia (short for ''Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación''), was a Bolivian charter airline headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as an EcoJet subsidiary. It had its origins from the failed ...

") *''Metoikoi'' ("Metics") *''Paidiai'' ("Games") *''Pedetai'' ("Men In Chains") *''Rhetores'' ("Politicians") *''Samioi'' ("The Samians") *''Tolmai'' ("Daring Deeds")Crates, fr.36–42 Of these titles, ''Feasts'' may be a mistake caused by confusion with Plato Comicus's play of that name; the ''Men in Chains'' might be a mistake for ''Games'', by confusion with

Callias Callias ( gr, Καλλίας, Kallias) was an Ancient Greek statesman, soldier and diplomat, active in 5th century BC. He is commonly known as Callias II to distinguish him from his grandfather, Callias I, and from his grandson, Callias III, who a ...

' ''Men in Chains''; and the ''Politicians'', attested in only one fragment, might be a mistake for ''Heroes'' or ''Neighbours''. Crates' ''Metics'' is attested only in a single fragment preserved in the Etymologicum Genuinum; other plays of that name by Pherecrates and Plato Comicus are attested, and it is unclear whether all three are separate works.

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* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crates Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights Old Comic poets 5th-century BC Greek people