Aristophanes of Kydathenaion

Rescued from the imminent obscurity of the sadly terminal Ancient Biography Thread!

(All dates BCE)

Aristophanes, son of Philippus, of Kydathenaion is remembered today as the “Father of Comedy”, since his satirical plays are the earliest surviving works of comic drama in history. Eleven of his acerbic, obscene, politically outspoken plays survive, covering some of the most turbulent and fascinating years in Athenian history,...

A while ago, I blogged on the importance of recognising the political aspects of Greek tragedy, of not just viewing the plays as family melodramas but understanding the specific political circumstances each play addresses. I gave a few examples of how our understanding of individual Greek plays can be enriched by making connections between the text and contemporary political events. Well, I've just stumbled across another excellent example of this, an example I particularly like (not least because...

It can be tempting to view the Greek tragedies as simply domestic melodramas, ancient "soap operas" dealing with wives who hate their husbands and children who murder their parents. This is certainly one aspect of Athenian tragic drama (Aristotle recommended that tragedies should deal with family relationships, since they are the closest and therefore the most potentially 'tragic' relationships we experience), but it is often overlooked that these plays were public, civic performances,...

The Mysteries of Eleusis were perhaps the most important religious festival in the ancient Athenian calendar. Each year, initiates who had participated in the Lesser Mysteries would process to a sanctuary dedicated to Demeter and Persephone in the little town of Eleusis, a short distance from Athens (the modern town of Elefsina stands there today, and the sanctuary has been excavated, a remarkable archaeological site which tourists rarely visit – highly recommended if you ever find yourself at a...

PROPOSITION: The comedies of Aristophanes constitute the greatest surviving cultural treasures of Classical Athens.


Off the bat it seems like an odd choice, I know. When surveying the embarrassment of riches that is the Athenian legacy, it might seem curious that I should choose to single out the work of a man most famous for telling bad jokes about faeces and genitalia. There are other problems with Aristophanes too. In order to understand many of his references, you need...