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Licymnius of Chius

500 BC – 460 BC

Ancient Greek poet and rhetorician

Writer Dithyrambic poetPoet
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About Licymnius of Chius

Lived 500 BC – 460 BC. Licymnius of Chius was a writer, dithyrambic poet and poet.

Likymnios of Chios (, ) was an ancient Greek dithyrambic poet from Chios, probably born in the fourth century BCE although this is not certain.

Aristotle mentions him in his "Rhetoric", saying that Likymnios' works were as good in written form as spoken or better. He is also mentioned by Chaeremon of Alexandria. Partii says that he wrote a poem about the conquest of Sardis and Eustathius of Epiphania mentions him in a poem as . In his Erotica Pathemata, Parthenius of Nicaea credits the story of Nanis to Likymnios and Hermesianax.

Of his dithyrambs none are wholly extant; they are survived only by fragments recorded in the works of others. One such fragment, concerning Hypnos and Endymion, his lover, is preserved in Athenaeus of Naucratis' Deipnosophistae . Another of his fragments, a prayer for health rendered in poetic verse, was preserved by Sextus Empiricus in Against Ethicists , although the attribution is uncertain; of the six preserved lines, three lines are identical to lines in the a known paean, also to health, by Ariphron of Sicyon.

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Important facts

Born
500 BC
Birth century
Died
460 BC
Also known as
Licymnios of Chios

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Licymnius of Chius's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Licymnius of Chius?

ancient Greek poet and rhetorician

When was Licymnius of Chius born?

Licymnius of Chius was born in 500 BC.

When did Licymnius of Chius die?

Licymnius of Chius died in 460 BC.

What was Licymnius of Chius's occupation?

Licymnius of Chius was a writer, dithyrambic poet and poet.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Licymnius of Chius

· Wikidata: Q3238134

· DBpedia: Likymnios of Chios

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Licymnius of Chius. https://biography.guide/licymnius-of-chius/

MLA: "Licymnius of Chius." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/licymnius-of-chius/.

Chicago: "Licymnius of Chius." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/licymnius-of-chius/.

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