Posidippus of

Cassandreia Cassandreia, Cassandrea, or Kassandreia ( grc, Κασσάνδρεια, ''Kassándreia'') was once one of the most important cities in Ancient Macedonia, founded by and named after Cassander in 316 BC. It was located on the site of the earlier Anc ...

(

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Ποσείδιππος ὁ Κασσανδρεύς, ''Poseidippos ho Kassandreus''; 316 – c. 250 BC) was a Greek

comic poet Ancient Greek comedy was one of the final three principal dramatic forms in the theatre of classical Greece (the others being tragedy and the satyr play). Athenian comedy is conventionally divided into three periods: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, an ...

of the

New Comedy Ancient Greek comedy was one of the final three principal dramatic forms in the theatre of classical Greece (the others being tragedy and the satyr play). Athenian comedy is conventionally divided into three periods: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, an ...

Life

He was the son of Cyniscus, a Macedonian who lived in

Athens 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 ...

. He produced his first play in the third year after

Menander Menander (; grc-gre, Μένανδρος ''Menandros''; c. 342/41 – c. 290 BC) was a Greek dramatist and the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy. He wrote 108 comedies and took the prize at the Lenaia festival eight times. His rec ...

had died (289 BC). Cooks held an important position in his list of characters. According to

Aulus Gellius Aulus Gellius (c. 125after 180 AD) was a Roman author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome. He is famous for his ''Attic Nights'', a commonplace book, or ...

, Latin comic poets had imitated Posidippus. His success is shown in a beautiful portrait and sitting statue in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

, which is considered a masterpiece of

classical art Ancient Greek art stands out among that of other ancient cultures for its development of naturalistic but idealized depictions of the human body, in which largely nude male figures were generally the focus of innovation. The rate of stylistic d ...

. In studying Posidippus' language,

Augustus Meineke Johann Albrecht Friedrich August Meineke (also ''Augustus Meineke''; ; 8 December 179012 December 1870), German classical scholar, was born at Soest in the Duchy of Westphalia. He was father-in-law to philologist Theodor Bergk.

has detected some new words and old words used in a new sense, completely unknown to the best Attic writers.

Works

Suidas The ''Suda'' or ''Souda'' (; grc-x-medieval, Σοῦδα, Soûda; la, Suidae Lexicon) is a large 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Soudas (Σούδας) or Souidas ...

states that Posidippus wrote forty plays, of which the following eighteen titles (along with associated fragments) are preserved. *''Ἀναβλέπων (Anablepon)'' — The One Who Sees Again *''Ἀποκλειομένη (Apokleiomene)'' — The Barred Woman *''Γαλάτης (Galates)'' — The Gaul *''Δήμοται (Demotai)'' — Citizens *''Ἑρμαφρόδιτος (Hermaphroditos)'' — The Hermaphrodite *''Ἐπίσταθμος (Epistathmos)'' —

Harmost Harmost ( el, , "joiner" or "adaptor") was a Spartan term for a military governor. The Spartan general Lysander instituted several harmosts during the period of Spartan hegemony after the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. They were sent int ...

or Symposiarch *''Ἐφεσία (Ephesia)'' — The Ephesian Girl *''Κώδων (Codon)'' — The Bell *''Λοκρίδες (Locrides)'' — The Locrian Women *''Μεταφερόμενοι (Metapheromenoi)'' — The Transported Ones *''Μύρμηξ (Myrmex)'' — The Ant *''Ὅμοιοι (Homoioi)'' — People Who Resemble Each Other *''Παιδίον (Paidion)'' — The Little Child *''Πορνοβοσκός (Pornoboscos)'' — The Pimp *''Σύντροφοι (Syntrophoi)'' — Comrades *''Φιλόσοφοι (Philosophoi)'' — Philosophers *''Φιλοπάτωρ (Philopator)'' — The Father-loving *''Χορεύουσαι (Choreuousai)'' — Dancing Girls

Quotations

: But Posidippus the comic writer, in his ''Pornoboscus'', says: "The man who never went to sea has never shipwrecked been. But we have been more miserable than monomachs." : Now the comic poet Posidippus says of her these words, in ''The Woman from Ephesus'' (Ephesia): "

Phryne Phryne (; grc, Φρύνη, Phrū́nē, 371 BC – after 316 BC) was an ancient Greek hetaira (courtesan). From Thespiae in Boeotia, she was active in Athens, where she became one of the wealthiest women in Greece. She is best known ...

was once the most illustrious of us courtesans by far. And even though you are too young to remember that time, you must at least have heard of her trial. Although she was thought to have wrought too great injury to men's lives, she nevertheless captured the court when tried for her life, and, clasping the hands of the judges, one by one, she with the help of her tears saved her life at last."

Posidippus sculpture

His statue in the Vatican is considered a masterpiece of ancient art.Sculptures and Galleries in the Vatican Palace
Posidippus and Menander.

References

;Attribution *

External links

Suidas Lexicon
*Graecorum comicorum fragmenta

Noctes Attica
Latin text
— Attic Nights ii.2

{{DEFAULTSORT:Posidippus Of Cassandreia Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights Writers of lost works Roman copies of Greek sculptures Sculptures of the Vatican Museums Ancient Macedonian poets Ancient Macedonians in Athens Ancient Cassandreians 3rd-century BC Macedonians New Comic poets 316 BC births 250s BC deaths