FrC 5.1 Pherekrates

Agathoi – Graes (frr. 1–42)

By (author) Andrea Codispoti

Book cover: FrC 5.1 Pherekrates

Extent: 479 pages

Publisher: Wiley-VCH

Subjects: Classical Studies

Series: Fragmenta Comica

Language: Italian

Hardback (Published)

(January 2026)

ISBN: 9783911065481

6.34 x 9.25 inches

Price: $125.00

In stock

Pherecrates, one of Aristophanes’ main rivals, stands out in Old Comedy for his inventive plots and his keen interest in music, female characters, and slaves – features that foreshadow themes later developed in Middle, New, and Roman Comedy.


The first volume devoted to Pherecrates in the Fragmenta Comica series (FrC 5.1) offers a comprehensive introduction to the poet and his work. Following the series’ guidelines, it presents a commentary on the ancient and medieval testimonia concerning his life, career, and literary activity, including the additional, though doubtful, testimonium no. 12, which is absent from Kassel and Austin’s Poetae Comici Graeci. The Italian speaking volume also provides a detailed commentary on fragments 1-42 K.-A., taken from the comedies Agathoi, Agrioi, Anthropherakles, Automoloi, and Graes. Each play is introduced with a dedicated section outlining its context and content; in the case of the Agrioi, this section also includes a commentary on the four ancient testimonia concerning the comedy.

  • By (author) Andrea Codispoti