Clearchus was an Athenian comic poet of the early 4th century BCE, likely active in the 380s [2]. He is known only from fragments and testimonia. The Suda states he wrote seven plays, but modern scholarship attributes only two secure titles to him, and he is a distinct figure from other historical individuals named Clearchus [1].

The two comedies attributed to him are Ἁλιεύς (The Fisherman) and Πανόπται (The All-Seeing Ones), both surviving fragmentarily [2]. The Suda lists other titles—Bacchae, Birth of Aphrodite, Birth of Pan, Heroes, Amphitryon—but these are considered doubtful or misattributed [1][2].

Clearchus is a minor figure within Middle Comedy. His fragments, often involving mythological parody and elements of fantasy, provide valuable glimpses into this transitional period between Old and New Comedy [2].

Sources 1. Suda On Line (The Stoa Consortium): https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/kappa/1734 2. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-1702