Here lies the poet Hipponax. If you are a scoundrel, do not approach the tomb; but if you are honest and from worthy stock, sit down in confidence and, if you like, fall asleep.
Hipponax of Ephesus
Being on the crossroads of the ancient world Ephesus hosted many well known people of the old times. Some ancient philosophers like Heraclitus and Hipponax were from Ephesus too.
What makes Hipponax of Ephesus different?
Hipponax keeps a special place in the list of ancient philosophers since he had a very witty language. He mostly used poems to express his ideas and feelings. Hipponax used Iambus genre which was used to criticize religious cults and offerings. He evolved Iambus genre into more humorous and witty style thanks to his poetry which was more narrow and insistently vulgar.
He was exiled from Ephesus then he moved into Clazomenae (Klazomenai) which is in Urla today. He once had an argument with a person which resulted into person’s suicide caused by the shame he had from the words of Hipponax. Hipponax passed away in Clazomenae.
Hipponax and the Sculptor Bupalus
Bupalus was a sculptor from the island of Chios, and he was the main target of the bitter poems of Hipponax of Ephesus. He worked together with his brother Athenis in the 6th century BC, and he is the man in the sad story of the suicide above.
The two brothers were sons of Archermus, another sculptor of Chios. Like Ephesus, Chios was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The brothers were among the most famous marble carvers of their time. They made mostly female figures in long dresses, like Artemis, Fortune and the Graces, and centuries later Emperor Augustus brought many of their works to Rome for the Temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill.
Hipponax was said to be a small, thin and ugly man. The brothers made a portrait of him which made fun of his face, so people laughed to him. It is also told that Hipponax wanted to marry the daughter of Bupalus but he was refused because of his looks.
Hipponax answered with his poems. In one famous line he shouts: “Hold my cloak, I will hit Bupalus in the eye!” As the story goes, the shame of these verses was so heavy that Bupalus hanged himself.
