Life Praxiteles of Athens (Πραξιτέλης ὁ Ἀθηναῖος) was a Greek poet of the 4th century BCE. He is known solely from a single epigram preserved in the Greek Anthology (Anthologia Palatina 7.218), an epitaph for the famous courtesan Lais [1][2][3]. The poem references the Corinthian general Timoleon (d. c. 337 BCE), situating Praxiteles in the late Classical period. He is distinct from the renowned Athenian sculptor of the same name, and no further biographical details survive.

Works His only attested work is the Epigram for Lais, a funerary elegiac couplet. In it, Lais speaks from her tomb, claiming sea-girt Corinth as her homeland and naming beauty and love, rather than wealth, as her companions [1][2][3].

Significance Praxiteles is a minor but distinct figure in early epigrammatic poetry. His work provides a concise poetic memorial to a historical personality and exemplifies the Hellenistic epitaphic tradition, despite its late Classical date. The epigram is a valuable cultural artifact illustrating the commemoration of a hetaira in verse [1][2][3].

Sources 1. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0475%3Abook%3D7%3Achapter%3D218 2. ToposText: https://topostext.org/work/741#218 3. The Greek Anthology, Volume III: Book 7: Sepulchral Epigrams (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press): https://www.loebclassics.com/view/greek_anthology_7/1917/pb_LCL084.181.xml