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Sophron

470 BC – 400 BC

Ancient Greek writer of mimes

Comedy writerPoet Mimographer
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About Sophron

Lived 470 BC – 400 BC. Sophron was a Greek comedy writer, poet, mimographer and writer.

Sophron of Syracuse (, fl. 430 BC), Magna Graecia, was a writer of mimes (μῖμος, a kind of prose drama).

Sophron was the author of prose dialogues in the Doric dialect, containing both male and female characters, some serious, others humorous in style, and depicting scenes from the daily life of the Sicilian Greeks. Although in prose, they were regarded as poems; in any case they were not intended for stage representation. They were written in pithy and popular language, full of proverbs and colloquialisms.

Influence Plato is said to have introduced Sophron's works into Athens and to have made use of them in his dialogues; according to Diogenes Laërtius, they were Plato's constant companions, and he even slept with them under his pillow; the Suda says of the mimes of Sophron, "Plato the philosopher always read them, so as to be sent into an occasional doze." |Humphry House

Editions The fragments of Sophron are collected in: Ahrens, H. L., De graecae linguae dialectis (1843), ii. (app.), and C. J. Botzon (1867); see also his De Sophrone et Xenarcho mimographis (1856). The most recent edition is: Hordern, J. H., Sophron's Mimes: Text, Translation, and Commentary, Oxford, 2004. .

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Important facts

Born
470 BC, Syracuse
Birth century
Died
400 BC
Occupation
Comedy writer, poet, mimographer, writer
Nationality

People in Sophron's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Sophron's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sophron?

ancient Greek writer of mimes

When was Sophron born?

Sophron was born in 470 BC in Syracuse.

When did Sophron die?

Sophron died in 400 BC.

What was Sophron's occupation?

Sophron was a comedy writer, poet, mimographer and writer.

What nationality was Sophron?

Sophron was Greek.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Sophron

· Wikidata: Q512691

· DBpedia: Sophron

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sophron. https://biography.guide/sophron/

MLA: "Sophron." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sophron/.

Chicago: "Sophron." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sophron/.

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