Panyassis, Heraclea

LCL 497: 188-189

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Heracles and Theseus

ΠΑΝΥΑΣΣΙΔΟΣ ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΑ

Testimonia

Suda π 248 (ex Hesychio Milesio)

Πανύασις Πολυάρχου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς, τερατοσκόπος καὶ ποιητὴς ἐπῶν, ὃς σβεσθεῖσαν τὴν ποιητικὴν ἐπανήγαγε. Δοῦρις δὲ (FGrHist 76 F 64) Διοκλέους τε παῖδα ἀνέγραψε καὶ Σάμιον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ἡρόδοτον Θούριον. ἱστόρηται δὲ Πανύασις Ἡροδότου τοῦ ἱστορικοῦ ἐξάδελφος· γέγονε γὰρ Πανύασις Πολυάρχου, ὁ δὲ Ἡρόδοτος Λύξου τοῦ Πολυάρχου ἀδελφοῦ. τινὲς δὲ οὐ Λύξην ἀλλὰ Ῥοιὼ τὴν μητέρα Ἡροδότου Πανυάσιδος ἀδελφὴν ἱστόρησαν. ὁ δὲ Πανύασις γέγονε κατὰ τὴν οη΄ ὀλυμπιάδα· κατὰ δέ τινας πολλῶι πρεσβύτερος· καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἐπὶ τῶν Περσικῶν. ἀνηιρέθη δὲ ὑπὸ Λυγδάμιδος τοῦ τρίτου τυραννήσαντος Ἁλικαρνασσοῦ. ἐν δὲ ποιηταῖς τάττεται μεθ᾿ Ὅμηρον, κατὰ δέ τινας καὶ μετὰ Ἡσίοδον καὶ Ἀντίμαχον. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ Ἡράκλειαν ἐν βιβλίοις ιδ΄ εἰς ἔπη θ΄, Ἰωνικὰ ἐν πενταμέτρωι (ἔστι δὲ τὰ περὶ Κόδρον καὶ Νηλέα καὶ τὰς Ἰωνικὰς ἀποικίας) εἰς ἔπη ζ΄.

Merkelbach—Stauber, Steinepigramme aus dem griechischen Osten 01/12/01= IG 12(1).145

5κοὐ] μὴν Ἡροδότου γλύκιον στόμα καὶ Πανύασσιν

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Panyassis

Panyassis, Heraclea

Testimonia

The Suda (from Hesychius of Miletus, Index of Famous Authors)

Panyassis the son of Polyarchus, from Halicarnassus, interpreter of prodigies and hexameter poet, who restored the art of verse from extinction. Duris, however, registers him as the son of Diocles and as a Samian, just as he makes Herodotus come from Thurii.8 Panyassis is recorded as being the cousin of the historian Herodotus, for Panyassis was the son of Polyarchus, and Herodotus of Polyarchus’ brother Lyxes. Some, however, relate that it was not Lyxes but Herodotus’ mother Rhoio that was Panyassis’ sister. Panyassis is dated to about the 78th Olympiad (= 468/465 bc); or according to some, considerably earlier, as he lived at the time of the Persian Wars. He was put to death by Lygdamis, the third tyrant of Halicarnassus. As a poet he is ranked after Homer, and by some authorities also after Hesiod and Antimachus. He wrote a Heraclea in fourteen books, to the sum of 9,000 verses; Ionica in elegiacs, dealing with Codrus, Neleus, and the Ionian colonies, to the sum of 7,000 verses.

Hellenistic verse inscription from Halicarnassus Nor was it ancient Babylon that nurtured Herodotus’

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DOI: 10.4159/DLCL.panyassis-heraclea.2003