A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

SIMONIDES. SIMONIDES. 833
There is an edition of the fragment on women, by maternal grandfather, if, as there is reason to beG. D. Koeler, with a prefatory epistle by Heyne, lieve, his paternal grandfather was also named
Gotting. 1781, 8vo. But the first complete edition Simonides, and was also a poet. (Higarm. Par. Ep.
was that of WXelcker, published in the Rhleinisches 49; B6ckh, C. I. vol. ii. p. 312.) The poet BacMuseum for 1835, 2nd series, vol. iii. pp. 353, foell., chylides was his nephew; and another Simonides,
and also separately, under the title of Simnonidis distinguished by the epithet of Genealogus, was his
Amiorgini Iambi quae sapersunt, Bonn. 1835, 8vo. grandson. (See below, No. 3.) The following is
The text of the fragments is also contained in the whole genealogy.
Schneidewin's Delectus P'oesis Graecorum, p. 1 96,
fell., in Bergk's Poetae Lyrici Graeci, pp. 500, foll.,
and the Poetae Gnorzici, in the Tauchnitz classics. Leoprepes. Dahter
(Welcker, I. c.; Schneidewin, in Zimmermann's
Zeitschri/iftib Alterth. 1836, pp. 365, foll.; Miiller,.Iist. Lit. I. c.; Ulrici, Gesch. d. Hell. Dichtk. vol. ii.
pp. 304-307; Bode, vol. ii. p. 1, pp. 318-327; Simonides. (Daughter) Midon, or
Bernhardy's Grundriss d. Griech. Litt. vol. ii. pp. Midylus.
339-341.) (Daughter.) Bacchbylides.
2. Simonides, of Ceos, one of the most celebrated
lyric poets of Greece, was the perfecter of the Simonides.
Elegy and Epigram, and the rival of Lasus and It seems, from a story related by Chamaeleon
Pindar in the Dithyramb and the Epinician Ode. -(Ath. x. p. 456, c.), that the family of Simonides
lie lived at the close of that period of two cen- held some hereditary office in connection with
turies, during which lyric poetry advanced from the worship of Dionysus, and that the poet himself
the earliest musical improvements of Terpander, to officiated, when a boy, in the service of the god at
that high stage of development which it attained whose festivals he afterwards gained so many vicin his own works, and in the odes of Pindar and tories. He appears also to have been brought up
the choruses of Aeschylus; in which the form to music and poetry as a profession. The precould be no further improved without injuring the ceding genealogy furnishes strong presumption that
true spirit of poetry; and from which, after a brief the art, according to the then common custom, was
rest at the point of perfection in the choruses of hereditary in his family; and it is stated that lie
Sophocles, it rapidly degenerated in the hands of instructed the choruses who celebrated the worEuripides and of the Athenian dithyrambic poets, ship of Apollo at Carthaea, where, as also in the
whom Aristophanes so severely satirized. His rest of his native island, that god was especially
genius must have received, also, no small impulse honoured. (Chamael. 1. c.) Pindar, who was a
from the political circumstances of his age. When bitter rival of Simonides, makes this early poetic
young, he formed a part of the brilliant literary discipline a subject of reproach, designating him and
circle which Hipparchus collected at his court. Bacchylides as ro's Ad'ovwras, as if they had been
In advanced life, he enjoyed the personal friend- poets merely by instruction, and not by inspiration.
ship of Themistocles and Pausanias, and celebrated (See further, Schneidewin, pp. vi.-viii.)
their exploits; and in his extreme old age, he From his native island Simonides proceeded to
found an honoured retreat at the court of Syracuse. Athens, probably on the invitation of Hipparchus,
His life extended from about the first usurpation who attached him to his society by great rewards
of Peisistratus to the end of the Persian wars, from (Plat. flipnparch. p. 228, c.; Aelian, V. H. viii. 2).
01. 56. 1, to 01. 78. 1, B.C. 556-467. The chief The reign of Hipparchus was from B.c. 528 to
authorities for his life, besides the ancient writers, 514, so that Simonides probably spent the best
and the historians of Greek literature(Miiller,Ulrici, years of his life at the tyrant's court. Anacreon
Bode, Bernhardy, &c.) are the two works of Schnei- lived at the court of Hipparchus at the same time,
dewin (Simonidis Cei Carminzis Reliquiae, Brunsv. but we have no evidence of any intimate relations
1835, 8vo.) and Richter (Simonides der aelt. eon between the two poets, except an epitaph upon
Keos, nachs seinem Leben beschrieben und in seinzei Anacreon, which is ascribed to Simonides (Fr. 171,
poetischen Ueberresten iibersetzt, Schleusingen, 1836, Schn.; Brunck, Anal. vol. i. p. 136, No. 49. s.
4to), in which the ancient authorities are so fully 55). Another of the great poets then at the court
collected and discussed, that it is unnecessary to of Hipparchus was the dithyrambic poet LAs ts,
refer to any except the most important of them. Pindar's teacher, who engaged in poetical contests
Simonides was born at Julis, in the island of with Simonides; and the rivalry between them
Ceos, in 01. 56. 1, B.c. 556, as we learn from one appears to have been carried on in no friendly
of his own epigrams (No. 203*), in which he cele- spirit. (Aristoph. Vesp. 1410, c. Schol.)
brates a victory which he gained at Athens, at the We have no positive information respecting the
age of 80 years, in the archonship of Adeimantus, poet's life between the murder of Hipparchus and
that is, in 01. 75. 4, B. C. 476; and this date is the battle of Marathon. It appears not improbable
confirmed by other authorities, and by the date of that he remained at Athens after the expulsion of
his death, which took place at the age of 189 (Suid.) Hippias, of whom he speaks as
or 90 (AIlar. IPar.), in 01. 78. 1, B.C., 467; Lucian'Avspos dplrEriar r'ErvEar c ' aviov
(lacrob. 26) extends his life beyond 90 years.
(Schn. pp. iii. iv.; Clinton, F. H. s. aa. 556, 476, in his epitaph on the tyrant's daughter Archedice
467.) (No. 170), which bears, however, internal evidence
His father was named Leoprepes, and his grand- (vv. 3, 4) of having been written after the ex
father Hyllichuns; but this must have been his pulsion of the Peisistratids. But the favours lie
had received from the Peisistratids, and especially' The numbers of the fragments quoted in this from Hipparchus, did not prevent him from speak
article are those of Schneidewin's edition. ing of the death of his patron as " a great light
VI,. III. 3 H