Moschion the Tragic Poet (Μοσχίων ὁ Τραγικός)

Life Moschion is an obscure author of tragedy, placed in the 2nd century CE. No biographical details concerning his life, origins, or associations are recorded [1][2][3][4].

Works His only known work is the tragedy Telephus (Τήλεφος), preserved in fragments. A substantial fragment, transmitted by the anthologist Stobaeus, contains a speech arguing against the practice of human sacrifice [1][2].

Significance Moschion’s importance derives solely from this single fragment. The speech, a rhetorical set-piece "against those who sacrifice human beings," employs philosophical reasoning to condemn the custom as barbaric, reflecting contemporary ethical discourse [1][2]. It is a valuable, if isolated, example of later Imperial tragic composition, valued in antiquity primarily for its moral content.

Sources 1. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0620%3Asection%3D3 2. ToposText (Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation): https://topostext.org/work/206#176.1 3. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/ 4. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/