Apollodorus of Carystus (Ἀπολλόδωρος ὁ Καρύστιος)

Life Apollodorus of Carystus was a Greek comic poet of the New Comedy period, active in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BCE. A native of Carystus on Euboea, he was a contemporary and rival of Menander, flourishing during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (r. 283–246 BCE) [1]. The Byzantine Suda credits him with 47 or 57 comedies, and he is counted among the six principal poets of New Comedy [1][2].

Works No complete play by Apollodorus survives; only fragments and titles remain. Known titles include Hecyra ("The Mother-in-Law") and Phormio, both later adapted by the Roman playwright Terence, as well as Epidikazomenos ("The Claimant"), Apanchomenos ("The Strangler"), and Diabolos ("The Slanderer") [1].

Significance Apollodorus is a significant representative of Greek New Comedy, a genre defined by domestic plots and stock characters. His primary importance lies in his influence on Roman theater; Terence directly adapted his Hecyra and Phormio, thereby transmitting Apollodorus's comic structures to the wider European tradition [1][3].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: Apollodorus of Carystus: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Apollodorus-of-Carystus 2. World History Encyclopedia: Greek Comedy: https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Comedy/ 3. Perseus Digital Library: Terence, Hecyra, Argumentum I: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0095