Journal | Axon
Journal issue | 4 | 2 | 2020
Research Article | A Funerary Epigram for Diokles the Rhodian Dramatist

A Funerary Epigram for Diokles the Rhodian Dramatist

This funerary verse inscription, found in 1976, is for the previously unknown dramatist Diokles of Rhodes. This entry re-examines the text based on visual autopsy, proposes a new supplement on the last line, and sets the poem within the literary and inscribed epitaphic traditions for deceased poets (tragedians in particular). It also considers what this poem tells us about Rhodian dramatic competitions in the Hellenistic period. It looks at the interplay between inscribed and literary epigrams, what this epigram tells us about poetry of the south-east Aegean, and the reception of literary funerary epigrams of Classical authors in the Hellenistic era.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: July 26, 2020 | Accepted: Sept. 22, 2020 | Published: Dec. 22, 2020 | Language: en

Keywords Simmias Diokles Sophocles Epigram Dramatic festivals Classical and Hellenistic Tragedy Verse inscription Lenaea Rhodes


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