Life Phanocles (Φανοκλῆς) was a Greek elegiac poet of the Hellenistic period, generally dated to the late fourth or early third century BCE [1]. He is considered a contemporary of poets like Hermesianax and Alexander Aetolus, often associated with the intellectual milieu of early Ptolemaic Alexandria [1][2]. No specific biographical details survive.

Works He is known only for his fragmentarily preserved elegiac poem Erotes or Kaloi (Ἔρωτες ἢ Καλοί, "Loves or Beautiful Youths") [1][2][3]. The work is lost, and its content is reconstructed from quotations in later authors, primarily Stobaeus and Athenaeus [1][3].

Significance Phanocles's significance lies in his contribution to a subgenre of Hellenistic elegy: mythological catalog poetry with homoerotic themes. Erotes systematically narrated myths of gods' loves for mortal youths, such as Dionysus for Adonis and Apollo for Hyacinthus, using a formulaic structure [1][2][3]. The poem represents Hellenistic scholarly poetry, adapting archaic form to mythographic content, and influenced later poets like Parthenius [1].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-4886 2. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062%3Aentry%3Dphanocles-harpers 3. ToposText (Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation): https://topostext.org/author/354