Phocylides
Phocylides, Greek gnomic poet of Miletus, contemporary of Theognis of Megara, was born about 560 BC. A few fragments of his "maxims" have survived (chiefly in the Florilegium of Stobaeus), in which he expresses his contempt for the pomps and vanities of rank and wealth, and sets forth in simple language his ideas of honour, justice and wisdom. An example is an epigram quoted by Dio Chrysostom: Aristotle also found cause to quote him:
Also recorded as Phocylides of Miletus
Phocylides
- Born
- 560 · Miletus.
- Died
- 600
- Nationality
- Miletus
- Occupation
- poet · epigrammatist · elegist
- Languages
- Ancient Greek
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Documentary summary
Phocylides, Greek gnomic poet of Miletus, contemporary of Theognis of Megara, was born about 560 BC. A few fragments of his "maxims" have survived (chiefly in the Florilegium of Stobaeus), in which he expresses his contempt for the pomps and vanities of rank and wealth, and sets forth in simple language his ideas of honour, justice and wisdom. An example is an epigram quoted by Dio Chrysostom: Aristotle also found cause to quote him:
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Authority files
gnd · 118791990 · wikidata · Q972799 · wikipedia · Phocylides
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Phocylides of Miletus was once credited with writing Pseudo-Phocylides, a complete didactic poem (230 hexameters). However, that text is now considered to be the work of an Alexandrian Christian of Jewish origin who lived between 170 BC and AD 50. The Jewish element is shown in verbal agreement with passages of the Old Testament (especially the Wisdom of Sirach); the Christian by the doctrine of the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body. Some Jewish authorities, however, maintain that there are in reality no traces of Christian doctrine to be found in the poem, and that the author was a Jew. The poem was first printed at Venice in 1495, and was a favourite school textbook during the Reformation period.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
560
Phocylides born at Miletus.
600
Phocylides died.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q972799: Phocylides
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Phocylides”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 118791990, Phocylides, Milesius.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 118791990, Phocylides, Milesius.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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