Athenion the Comic Poet (Ἀθηνίων ὁ κωμικός)

Life Athenion was an Athenian comic poet active during the period of Middle Comedy (4th–3rd century BCE). The Suda, a 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia, identifies him as the son of the comic poet Aristomenes and states he wrote four comedies [1].

Works Only fragments of Athenion’s work survive, preserved primarily by later authors like Athenaeus in his Deipnosophistae [2]. The Suda records four plays, including the titled comedies Samothracians (Σαμοθρᾷκες) and The Thessalian (Θετταλή) [1]. The extant fragments often concern themes of food and dining.

Significance As a poet of Middle Comedy, Athenion represents the transitional phase between the political satire of Old Comedy and the social focus of New Comedy. His fragmentary remains offer a glimpse into the broader, mostly lost, landscape of Athenian comic theater beyond major figures like Aristophanes or Menander [2].

Sources 1. Suda, Athenion (Suda On Line): https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/alpha/5049 2. Perseus Digital Library, Athenion (in "Greek Comic Fragments"): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Da%29qhni%2Fwn