Life Ion of Samos (Ἴων ὁ Σάμιος) was a Greek elegiac and lyric poet of the 5th century BCE. According to the Suda, he was the son of Orthomenes, a contemporary of Sophocles, and was active during the archonship of Apsephion (469/8 BCE) [1]. He later competed in poetic contests at the Macedonian court of King Archelaus (c. 413–399 BCE) [1]. He is frequently confused with the more prolific Ion of Chios, leading to biographical conflation in the historical record [2].

Works His two major works, known only through fragments and testimonia, are the Elegies (Ἐλεγεῖα) and Lyric Poems (Λυρικά) [1]. The Suda also mentions a Foundation of Chios (Κτίσις Χίου), but this is more reliably attributed to Ion of Chios [1].

Significance Ion represents the continuation of elegiac and lyric poetry outside 5th-century Athens. His patronage at the Macedonian court is an early example of the cultural links between the Greek mainland and outlying kingdoms that would characterize the later Hellenistic period. The confusion with Ion of Chios illustrates the challenges of attribution for minor literary figures from antiquity.

Sources 1. Suda, Iota 467 (Suda On Line): https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/iota/467 2. Encyclopædia Britannica, "Ion of Chios": https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ion-of-Chios