134:, or legislative commissioner, with the task of drawing up a new constitution”. But in his poetry, he was a harsh critic of the wealthy, and called for justice and revenge (Nemesis) upon them, also invoking Fortune, asking why she didn't “reduce to poverty the profligate Xenon and give us the money now running to futility?”. He refers to the profligate wealthy as “dirty-cheat usurers” misusing their “stink-pig wealth”, as misers, and "ruin merchants". He invokes Justice and asks why she – and all the gods on Olympus – are so blind. But most significant is his invocation of Nemesis, “the spirit of earthly retribution” to attack the wealthy for their profligacy and to attack the system of wealth itself, rather than specific acts of injustice or inequality – a profound theme of the Cynics.
677:
172:. His poems are filled with moralistic themes such as the uneven distribution of wealth and the unfortunate results of luxurious living. There are seven poem fragments attributable to Cercidas. The longest fragment contains a discussion of the nature of the
231:, which can be dated to the 3rd century BC. It is possible that the anthology was compiled by Cercidas, but this is doubtful because the quality of the choliambic poetry in the introduction is much inferior to his meliambic poetry.
220:, teaching the cheap and easy way of love. Another fragment, apparently biographical, expressing the poet's satisfaction that he has devoted himself to the service of the
216:, and worship the tried Paean, Giving, and Retribution, that is, beneficence for those afflicted in body or spirit and punishment for wrongdoers. Another poem is
111:
He commanded his city's infantry contingent at the battle of
Sellasia in 222 BC. He appears to be a descendant of Cercidas the Arcadian, who is mentioned by
767:
659:
792:
309:
762:
437:
782:
372:
652:
777:
772:
787:
616:
645:
581:
227:
In addition to these poems, there are also some papyrus fragments of a moral anthology with an introduction in
401:
490:
161:) was discovered in 1906. Meliambic poetry, which is a style peculiar to Cercidas, is a combination of the
731:
500:
395:
23:
611:
446:
38:
430:
120:
97:
77:
716:
626:
606:
596:
586:
561:
525:
515:
510:
480:
49:
706:
601:
591:
540:
485:
101:
65:
711:
305:
177:
89:
721:
495:
180:, in which Cercidas declares that the current beliefs do not square with the facts of life:
621:
556:
535:
423:
407:
389:
566:
169:
154:
130:, D. Rankin notes that Cercidas “was active in the politics of his city……was appointed
52:. A papyrus roll containing fragments from seven of his Cynic poems was discovered at
756:
116:
701:
571:
470:
460:
213:
162:
143:
112:
69:
53:
41:
93:
45:
696:
505:
166:
73:
208:
all the man's damned expenditure? Has the eye of
Justice been mole-blinded?
108:
of the poets, which clearly implies his esteem for these four disciplines.
741:
726:
686:
520:
465:
391:
Theophrastus
Characters. Herodas, Cercidas and the Greek Choliambic Poets
228:
81:
576:
475:
212:
Cercidas goes on to explain that he would rather leave the gods to the
146:
188:
that sweet-scented out-of-control Xenon, make him a pathetic poor man,
415:
217:
200:
who squanders it all out again, one who's the death of his fortune,
119:, who, by their cowardice and corruption, enslaved their states to
736:
676:
637:
221:
105:
85:
173:
34:
641:
419:
198:
if a man is a turd of a loan-shark, a real old die-for-a-penny
192:
is uselessly flowing away? What can there be to prevent god -
92:
relates that
Cercidas died expressing his hope of being with
84:. At his death he ordered the first and second books of the
196:
whatever comes into his mind, can easily get it all done,
412:, compiled by Martine Cuypers, Trinity College Dublin.
394:, ed. & trans. J. M. Edmonds, A. D. Knox. (1925).
377:
Dictionary of Greek and Roman
Biography and Mythology
202:
why can't God just empty this man of his swinewealth,
190:
and transfer to us who deserve it the silver that now
549:
453:
194:
supposing you asked him the question - since a god,
204:and give to a thin-feeding, common-bowl cup-dipper
342:Cercidas, fragment 2, quoted in: Graham Shipley,
300:Williams, F: "Cercidas: The Man and the Poet",
653:
431:
302:Beyond the Canon = Hellenistica Groningana 11
8:
344:The Greek World After Alexander, 323-30 B.C.
76:(who cites him as a source for the cult of
660:
646:
638:
438:
424:
416:
184:choose that greedy cormorant wealthpurse,
151:the meliambic poems of Cercidas the Cynic
16:3rd-century BC Greek poet and philosopher
240:
7:
72:lines. He is mentioned and cited by
403:Scholarly Bibliography for Cercidas
68:, whose death he recorded in some
14:
768:3rd-century BC Greek philosophers
675:
320:Oxyrhynchus papyrus, no. 1082.
128:Sophists, Socratics and Cynics
1:
793:Hellenistic-era philosophers
304:. Page 345. Peeters, Leuven
265:Stobaeus, iv. 43, lviii. 10.
33:; fl. 3rd century BC) was a
617:Maximus I of Constantinople
64:Cercidas was an admirer of
809:
763:3rd-century BC Greek poets
409:A Hellenistic Bibliography
247:Diogenes Laertius, vi. 76.
27:
682:
673:
158:
491:Anaximenes of Lampsacus
357:First Greek Anthologist
274:Ptolemaeus Hephaestus,
159:Κερκίδα κυνός μελίαμβοι
88:to be buried with him.
783:Ancient Megalopolitans
396:Loeb Classical Library
346:, page 184. Routledge.
256:Athenaeus, viii., xii.
210:
104:of the musicians, and
329:Clayman, D., (1980),
182:
96:of the philosophers,
375:from William Smith,
355:A. D. Knox, (1923),
121:Philip II of Macedon
48:for his native city
778:Ancient Greek poets
773:Ancient legislators
100:of the historians,
788:Cynic philosophers
582:Peregrinus Proteus
486:Hegesias of Sinope
447:Cynic philosophers
331:Callimachus' Iambi
750:
749:
635:
634:
333:, page 69. BRILL.
310:978-90-429-1813-9
178:divine providence
800:
679:
662:
655:
648:
639:
440:
433:
426:
417:
360:
353:
347:
340:
334:
327:
321:
318:
312:
298:
292:
285:
279:
272:
266:
263:
257:
254:
248:
245:
160:
149:with the title "
78:Venus Kallipygos
29:
808:
807:
803:
802:
801:
799:
798:
797:
753:
752:
751:
746:
680:
669:
668:Greek lawgivers
666:
636:
631:
545:
449:
444:
386:
369:
364:
363:
354:
350:
341:
337:
328:
324:
319:
315:
299:
295:
286:
282:
273:
269:
264:
260:
255:
251:
246:
242:
237:
205:
203:
201:
199:
197:
195:
193:
191:
189:
185:
140:
62:
17:
12:
11:
5:
806:
804:
796:
795:
790:
785:
780:
775:
770:
765:
755:
754:
748:
747:
745:
744:
739:
734:
729:
724:
719:
714:
709:
704:
699:
694:
689:
683:
681:
674:
671:
670:
667:
665:
664:
657:
650:
642:
633:
632:
630:
629:
624:
619:
614:
609:
604:
599:
594:
589:
584:
579:
574:
569:
567:Dio Chrysostom
564:
559:
553:
551:
547:
546:
544:
543:
538:
533:
528:
523:
518:
513:
508:
503:
498:
493:
488:
483:
478:
473:
468:
463:
457:
455:
451:
450:
445:
443:
442:
435:
428:
420:
414:
413:
399:
385:
384:External links
382:
381:
380:
368:
365:
362:
361:
348:
335:
322:
313:
293:
289:Varia Historia
280:
267:
258:
249:
239:
238:
236:
233:
224:all his life.
139:
136:
61:
58:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
805:
794:
791:
789:
786:
784:
781:
779:
776:
774:
771:
769:
766:
764:
761:
760:
758:
743:
740:
738:
735:
733:
730:
728:
725:
723:
720:
718:
715:
713:
710:
708:
705:
703:
700:
698:
695:
693:
690:
688:
685:
684:
678:
672:
663:
658:
656:
651:
649:
644:
643:
640:
628:
625:
623:
620:
618:
615:
613:
610:
608:
605:
603:
600:
598:
595:
593:
590:
588:
585:
583:
580:
578:
575:
573:
570:
568:
565:
563:
560:
558:
555:
554:
552:
548:
542:
539:
537:
534:
532:
529:
527:
524:
522:
519:
517:
514:
512:
509:
507:
504:
502:
499:
497:
494:
492:
489:
487:
484:
482:
479:
477:
474:
472:
469:
467:
464:
462:
459:
458:
456:
452:
448:
441:
436:
434:
429:
427:
422:
421:
418:
411:
410:
405:
404:
400:
397:
393:
392:
388:
387:
383:
378:
374:
371:
370:
366:
358:
352:
349:
345:
339:
336:
332:
326:
323:
317:
314:
311:
307:
303:
297:
294:
290:
284:
281:
277:
271:
268:
262:
259:
253:
250:
244:
241:
234:
232:
230:
225:
223:
219:
215:
209:
206:
186:
181:
179:
175:
171:
168:
164:
156:
152:
148:
145:
137:
135:
133:
129:
124:
122:
118:
114:
109:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
79:
75:
71:
67:
59:
57:
55:
51:
47:
43:
40:
36:
32:
25:
24:Ancient Greek
21:
691:
530:
408:
402:
390:
376:
359:, Cambridge.
356:
351:
343:
338:
330:
325:
316:
301:
296:
288:
283:
275:
270:
261:
252:
243:
226:
211:
207:
187:
183:
150:
141:
131:
127:
125:
115:among those
110:
63:
30:
19:
18:
702:Cleisthenes
612:Asclepiades
572:Agathobulus
471:Onesicritus
461:Antisthenes
291:, xiii. 20.
278:, Cod. 190.
276:ap. Photius
229:choliambics
214:astrologers
144:Oxyrhynchus
113:Demosthenes
54:Oxyrhynchus
50:Megalopolis
42:philosopher
757:Categories
627:Sallustius
501:Hipparchia
367:References
132:nomothetes
94:Pythagoras
46:legislator
732:Nicodorus
697:Charondas
607:Heraclius
597:Pancrates
587:Theagenes
562:Demetrius
550:Roman era
526:Menedemus
511:Cleomenes
506:Metrocles
481:Philiscus
454:Greek era
167:hexameter
98:Hecataeus
74:Athenaeus
70:Meliambic
56:in 1906.
742:Zaleucus
727:Lycurgus
712:Diagoras
692:Cercidas
687:Aegimius
602:Crescens
592:Oenomaus
557:Favonius
541:Meleager
531:Cercidas
521:Menippus
466:Diogenes
373:Cercidas
287:Aelian,
82:Stobaeus
66:Diogenes
31:Kerkidas
28:Κερκιδᾶς
20:Cercidas
717:Diocles
707:Demonax
577:Demonax
476:Monimus
379:(1870).
176:and of
147:papyrus
102:Olympus
496:Crates
308:
218:erotic
170:meters
163:iambic
138:Poetry
117:Greeks
90:Aelian
80:) and
44:, and
737:Solon
722:Draco
622:Horus
536:Teles
235:Notes
222:Muses
155:Greek
106:Homer
86:Iliad
39:Cynic
516:Bion
306:ISBN
174:gods
165:and
60:Life
35:poet
406:at
153:" (
142:An
126:In
759::
157::
123:.
37:,
26::
661:e
654:t
647:v
439:e
432:t
425:v
398:.
22:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.