Timocreon
Encyclopedia
Timocreon of Ialysus in Rhodes
(Τιμοκρέων), was a Greek
lyric poet
who flourished about 480 BC
.
During the Persian wars
he had been banished on suspicion of "medism
". Themistocles
had promised to procure his recall, but was unable to resist the bribes of Timocreon's adversaries and allowed him to remain in exile. Timocreon thereupon attacked him most bitterly (see Plutarch
, Themistocles, 21); and Simonides
, the friend of Themistocles
, retorted in an epigram
(Anth. Pal. vii. 348).
Timocreon was also known as a composer of scolia (drinking-songs) and, according to Suidas
, wrote plays in the style of the old comedy. A famous drinking song of his was about the god Plutus:
'You, blind Plutus, ought to appear neither on land nor on sea nor in heaven, but dwell in Tartarus and Acheron, for it is because of you that all evils come to men.'
This was parodied by Aristophanes in Acharnians, when outlining the restrictions on Megara which the Megarian Decree imposed:
'That the Megarian should remain neither on land nor in agora nor on sea nor on continent.'
His gluttony and drunkenness were notorious, and he was an athlete of great prowess.
His epitaph was written by the poet Simonides. Translated from the Greek, it is, "After much eating, drinking, lying and slandering, TIMOCREON of Rhodes here rests from wandering."
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
(Τιμοκρέων), was a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
lyric poet
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
who flourished about 480 BC
480 BC
Year 480 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vibulanus and Cincinnatus...
.
During the Persian wars
Greco-Persian Wars
The Greco-Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and city-states of the Hellenic world that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the Greeks and the enormous empire of the Persians began when Cyrus...
he had been banished on suspicion of "medism
Medism
Medism can refer to:* In ancient Greece, imitating or having sympathies or siding with the Persians . It was considered a crime in many ancient Greek states. Themistocles the Athenian was ostracized for Medism...
". Themistocles
Themistocles
Themistocles ; c. 524–459 BC, was an Athenian politician and a general. He was one of a new breed of politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy, along with his great rival Aristides...
had promised to procure his recall, but was unable to resist the bribes of Timocreon's adversaries and allowed him to remain in exile. Timocreon thereupon attacked him most bitterly (see Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, Themistocles, 21); and Simonides
Simonides of Ceos
Simonides of Ceos was a Greek lyric poet, born at Ioulis on Kea. The scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria included him in the canonical list of nine lyric poets, along with Bacchylides and Pindar...
, the friend of Themistocles
Themistocles
Themistocles ; c. 524–459 BC, was an Athenian politician and a general. He was one of a new breed of politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy, along with his great rival Aristides...
, retorted in an epigram
Epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
(Anth. Pal. vii. 348).
Timocreon was also known as a composer of scolia (drinking-songs) and, according to Suidas
Suda
The Suda or Souda is a massive 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Suidas. It is an encyclopedic lexicon, written in Greek, with 30,000 entries, many drawing from ancient sources that have since been lost, and often...
, wrote plays in the style of the old comedy. A famous drinking song of his was about the god Plutus:
'You, blind Plutus, ought to appear neither on land nor on sea nor in heaven, but dwell in Tartarus and Acheron, for it is because of you that all evils come to men.'
This was parodied by Aristophanes in Acharnians, when outlining the restrictions on Megara which the Megarian Decree imposed:
'That the Megarian should remain neither on land nor in agora nor on sea nor on continent.'
His gluttony and drunkenness were notorious, and he was an athlete of great prowess.
His epitaph was written by the poet Simonides. Translated from the Greek, it is, "After much eating, drinking, lying and slandering, TIMOCREON of Rhodes here rests from wandering."