Parrhasius of Ephesus (Παρράσιος ὁ Ἐφέσιος) was a Greek epigrammatist and elegiac poet of the late fifth or early fourth century BCE. A native of Ephesus, he is known only from a single surviving epigram and a few testimonia. The tenth-century Byzantine encyclopedia, the Suda, records him as the son of Euenor and a pupil of the philosopher Anaxagoras, but erroneously conflates him with the famous contemporary painter of the same name [1][2]. The Hellenistic poet Callimachus also references him as an elegist [1].

Only one complete epigram by Parrhasius survives, preserved in the Greek Anthology (Anth. Pal. 9.342) [1][2]. This four-line elegiac poem humorously addresses a statue of Hermes. Ancient sources, including the Suda, also attribute to him a collection of elegies and a Paian, all now lost [1][2].

Parrhasius represents the early Ionian tradition of elegiac and epigrammatic poetry. His surviving epigram is a notable early example of the literary epigram, displaying a witty, playful style. His recognition by Alexandrian scholars like Callimachus indicates his place in the early Hellenistic canon of lyric and elegiac poets [1].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: Parrhasius (2), Greek epigrammatist: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-4729 2. Perseus Digital Library, Suda Encyclopedia, entry for Parrhasius: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0054:entry=parrasios&highlight=parrhasius