Herodas (also spelled Herondas) was a Hellenistic Greek poet of the 3rd century BCE. Little is known of his life, though he is sometimes associated with the island of Cos, and he may have lived in Alexandria under Ptolemy II Philadelphus [1]. His work was rediscovered through a papyrus manuscript found at El-Faiyûm, Egypt in the late 19th century [1][2].

He is known exclusively for his Mimiambi (Μιμίαμβοι), short dramatic mimes written in scazons (limping iambics). A single papyrus (British Library Papyrus 135) preserves eight complete poems and a fragment of a ninth [1][2][3]. These include "The Procuress," "The Brothel-Keeper," "The Schoolmaster," "Women Sacrificing to Asclepius," "The Jealous Woman," "Private Conversation," "The Shoemaker," and "The Dream" [1][2].

Herodas is significant as the only Hellenistic poet whose Mimiambi survive substantially intact. His work offers a vivid, often coarse, glimpse into the everyday life of ordinary Hellenistic people [1][2]. He employs a literary Ionic dialect imitating the archaic iambics of Hipponax, blending archaic style with contemporary popular mime [1][3].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herodas 2. Perseus Digital Library, Herodas, Mimiambi: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0239 3. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3029