Β:This article refers to the Greek poet. For other uses of Bion, both as a name and as a scientific term, see the disambiguation page, Bion Bion, Greek bucolic poet, was born at Phlossa near Smyrna, and flourished about 100 BC. The account formerly given of him, that he was the contemporary and imitator of Theocritus, the friend and tutor of Moschus, and lived about 280 BC, is now generally regarded as incorrect. ...

Bion (Greek Βίων), Greek bucolic poet, was a native of the city of Smyrna and flourished about 100 BC. Most of his work is lost. There remain 17 fragments (preserved in ancient anthologies) and the "Epitaph on Adonis," a mythological poem on the death of Adonis and the lament of Aphrodite (preserved in several late medieval manuscripts of bucolic poetry). Some of the fragments show the pastoral themes that were typical of ancient Greek bucolic poetry, while others attest the broader thematic interpretation of the bucolic form that prevailed in the later Hellenistic period. They are often concerned with love, mainly homosexual. Besides Adonis, other myths that appear in his work are those of Hyacinthus and the Cyclops; to judge from references in the "Epitaph on Bion," which frequently alludes to Bion's work, he also wrote a poem on Orpheus, to which some of the extant fragments may have belonged. The Greek texts of Bion's poems are generally included in the editions of Theocritus. There is no particular reason to think that the "Epithalamius of Achilles and Deidameia", preserved in bucolic manuscripts and usually included under his name in modern editions, is Bion's work. Bucolic, although often used as an adjective, is a noun originally describing a type of pastoral poetry that praises rural life over that of the city. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... Ä°zmir, historically Smyrna, is the third most populous city of Turkey and the countrys largest port after Ä°stanbul. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 105 BC 104 BC 103 BC 102 BC 101 BC - 100 BC - 99 BC 98 BC 97 BC 96 BC 95... Adonis is an archetypal life-death-rebirth deity in Greek mythology, and a central cult figure in various mystery religions. ... The Birth of Venus, (detail) by Sandro Botticelli, 1485 For other uses, see Aphrodite (disambiguation). ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... The Death of Hyacinthos by Jean Broc. ... Polyphemus the Cyclops. ... For other uses, see Orpheus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Achilles (disambiguation). ...

Bion's influence can be seen in numerous ancient Greek and Latin poets and prose authors, including Virgil and Ovid. His treatment of the myth of Adonis in particular has influenced European and American literature since the Renaissance. For other uses, see Virgil (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ovid (disambiguation) Publius Ovidius Naso (March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD) was a Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid who wrote on topics of love, abandoned women and mythological transformations. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ...

Almost nothing is known of Bion's life. The account formerly given of him, that he was the contemporary of Theocritus and a friend and teacher of Moschus, and lived about 280 BC, is now regarded as incorrect: it rests on a misreading of the "Epitaph on Bion," a poem commemorating his death, which in early modern times was erroneously attributed to Moschus. The Suda lists the ancient canon of Greek bucolic poets as Theocritus, Moschus, and Bion, which should reflect chronogical order, and Moschus flourished in the mid 2nd century BC. Probable and certain imitations of Bion by Greek and Latin poets begin to be seen in the early 1st century. Some information concerning Bion's life comes from the "Epitaph on Bion." Its anonymous author calls himself Bion's heir and an "Ausonian" (= Italian), which may mean that Bion traveled to Italy at some point, perhaps for patronage in Rome (as Greek poets were beginning to do in his lifetime). It may, however, mean only that the author considered himself Bion's poetic heir. The poem also asserts that Bion was poisoned, which may or may not be a poetic metaphor. Theocritus (Greek Θεόκριτος), the creator of Ancient Greek bucolic poetry, flourished in the 3rd century BC. Little is known of him beyond what can be inferred from his writings. ... Moschus, Ancient Greek bucolic poet and student of the Alexandrian grammarian Aristarchus of Samothrace, was born at Syracuse and flourished about 150 BC. He was also known for his grammatical work, nothing of which survives. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC - 280s BC - 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 285 BC 284 BC 283 BC 282 BC 281 BC 280 BC 279 BC 278 BC 277... Suda (Σουδα or alternatively Suidas) is a massive 10th century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopædia of the ancient Mediterranean world. ... Theocritus (Greek Θεόκριτος), the creator of Ancient Greek bucolic poetry, flourished in the 3rd century BC. Little is known of him beyond what can be inferred from his writings. ... Moschus, Ancient Greek bucolic poet and student of the Alexandrian grammarian Aristarchus of Samothrace, was born at Syracuse and flourished about 150 BC. He was also known for his grammatical work, nothing of which survives. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5...

One ancient text gives his place of origin as "a little place called Phlossa," which is otherwise unknown; it was presumably a district under the administration of Smyrna, perhaps one of the villages out of which Smyrna was reconstituted during the Hellenistic period. The appellation "Bion of Phlossa," under which he is sometimes known (for example, by the Library of Congress), is therefore a pedantic solecism: outside of Smyrna itself he would have been known as Bion of Smyrna. The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... For the medical term see rigor (medicine) Rigour (American English: rigor) has a number of meanings in relation to intellectual life and discourse. ... In linguistic prescriptivism, a solecism is a grammatical or other mistake or absurdity. ...

References

Recent editions are:

• J. D. Reed, Bion of Smyrna: the Fragments and the Adonis (Cambridge 1997), with English translations, and
• M. Fantuzzi, Bionis Smyrnaei Adonidis Epitaphium (Liverpool 1985) (in Italian).

Bion and Moschus have been edited separately by

• G Hermann (1849)
• C. Ziegler (Tübingen, 1869)

Also Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (November 28, 1772 - December 31, 1848), German classical scholar and philologist, was born at Leipzig. ...

• Epitaphios Adonidos by HL Ahrens (1854)
• E. Hiller in Beitrage zur Textegeschichte der griechischen Bukoliker (1888).

There are English translations Franz Heinrich Ludolf Ahrens (June 6, 1809 - September 25, 1881), was a German philologist. ...

• J. Banks (1853) in Bohn's Classical Library
• Andrew Lang (1889), with Theocritus and Moschus

• Edition of the text by Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff in the Oxford Scriptorum Classicorum Bibliotheca (1905).

On the date of Bion: For the former National Basketball Association player, see Andrew Lang (basketball). ... Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff (22 December 1848 - 25 September 1931) was a German classical philologist. ...

• Franz Bücheler in Rheinisches Museum, xxx. (1875), pp. 33-411
• G. Knaack in Pauly-Wissowa's Realencyclopädie, s.v.
• Franz Susemihl, Geschichte der griechischen Litteratur in der Alexandrinerzeit, i. (1891), p. 233.

Franz Bücheler (June 3, 1837 - 1908), German classical scholar, was born in Rheinberg, and educated at Bonn. ... Pauly-Wissowa is the name commonly used for the Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, 1894ff, a German encyclopedia of classical scholarship. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Bion of Smyrna

• Works by Bion of Phlossa at Project Gutenberg

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.