Anaxilas (comic poet)

Anaxilas (Ἀναξίλας), also called Anaxilas Comicus, (fl. 340 BC)^[1] was a Greek comic poet of the Middle Comedy period. Based on his name, he has been presumed of Doric origin.^[2] He was, along with several other Middle Comedy poets (e.g. Antiphanes, Anaxandrides, Amphis, Alexis, Epicrates, Eubulides, Sophilus, and Dionysius of Sinope — all of apparently non-Attic origin) part of the increasing influence of non-Attic poets following the fifth century BC.^[3]

He was one of several comic poets mentioned by Diogenes Laërtius, as having "ridiculed" Plato.^[4]

Surviving Titles and Fragments

Titles for twenty one of his plays are known, but only fragments of his works remain.^[5]

• The Rustic Man
• Exchange
• The Pipe-Player
• Botrylion
• Glaucus
• Manliness
• Thrasyleon
• Calypso
• Circe
• Cyclops
• Lyremakers (or possibly Perfume-makers)
• Cooks
• The Recluse
• Neottis
• Nereus
• Bird-Keepers
• Wealthy Men (or possibly Wealthy Women)
• Hyacinthus, or Hyacinthus the Pimp
• Graces
• The Goldsmith
• Seasons

Notes

1. Arnold, p. 221.
2. Edmonds, pp. 332–333 n. b; Csapo, p. 218 n. 83.
3. Csapo, p. 218.
4. Diogenes Laërtius, 3.26, 28.
5. Edmonds, pp. 332–348.

References

• Arnold, Sir Edwin, The Poets of Greece, London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, 1869.
• Csapo, Eric, Hans Rupprecht Goette, J. Richard Green, Peter Wilson, Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century BC, Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2014.
• Edmonds, The Fragments of "Attic Comedy" After Meineke, Bergk, and Kock: Augm., Newly Ed. with Their Contexts, Annot., and Completely Transl. Into English Verse. Old comedy, Brill Archive, 1959.
• * Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). "Anaxilas"