Sopater of Paphos (Σώπατρος ὁ Πάφιος) was a Hellenistic comic poet active in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BCE during the era of Alexander the Great’s successors [1]. The Byzantine encyclopedia Suda identifies him as a writer of comedy from Paphos on Cyprus, distinguishing him from other poets of the same name [1]. No further biographical details survive.

The Suda records a single comedy by Sopater, titled Φάγητες (Phagētes, “The Gluttons” or “The Eaters”), though it notes he wrote many works [1]. The play is lost and survives only in fragments and by its title within standard collections of Greek comic fragments.

Sopater’s significance lies in exemplifying the spread of Attic-style comedy throughout the Hellenistic world following Alexander’s conquests. As a poet from Cyprus, he represents the cultural Hellenization of the eastern Mediterranean. The thematic suggestion of his known play aligns it with the domestic and character-driven plots of Middle or New Comedy.

Sources 1. Suda, entry on Sopater (Perseus Digital Library): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Sopater&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0054