Sositheus

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Sositheus (ca. 280 BC), Greek tragic poet, of Alexandria Troas, a member of the Alexandrian "pleiad." He must have resided at some time in Athens, since Diogenes La rtius tells us (vii.5,4) that he attacked the Stoic Cleanthes on the stage, and was hissed off by the audience. As the Suidas also calls him a Syracusan, it is conjectured that he belonged to the literary circle at the court of Hiero II. According to an epigram of Dioscorides in the Greek Anthology (Anth. Pal. vii.707) he restored the satyric drama in its original form. A considerable fragment is extant of his pastoral play Daphnis or Lityerses, in which the Sicilian shepherd, in search of his love Pimplea, is brought into connexion with the Phrygian reaper, son of Midas, who slew all who unsuccessfully competed with him in reaping his grain. Heracles came to the aid of Daphnis and slew Lityerses.