OLD COMEDY: CHRONOLOGICAL SYNOPSIS

486 Comedy officially introduced at Great Dionysia Festival.

445 Comedy officially introduced at Lenaea Festival.

446 Birth of Eupolis.

445 Birth of Aristophanes.

440 Pericles unsuccessfully attempts to restrain comedy.

427 Taxiarchoi of Eupolis. Attack on Pericles. Pro-war. inextant.

427 Banqueters of Aristophanes. His first production, on education of children. inextant.

426 Babylonians of Aristophanes. Attack on Cleon. Aristophanes criticized because Athenian allies in the audience say Cleon mocked. inextant.

425 Acharnians of Aristophanes. Attack on Cleon again, anti-war. the private peace.

424 Knights of Aristophanes. Strong attack on Cleon, but a few weeks later, the Athenians elected Cleon strategos for another year. Playful attack on Cratinus.

424 Golden Age of Eupolis. Attacks Cleon. inextant.

423 Pytine of Cratinus. Response to Knights of Aristophanes, wins first prize at Dionysia over Clouds of Aristophanes. inextant.

423 Clouds of Aristophanes (1st version). last place. It was later re- written (ca. 419) but not performed in revised form.

422 Wasps of Aristophanes. Athenian love of litigation.

421 Peace of Aristophanes. 2nd prize. Eupolis won 1st. Peace of Nicias in effect. Parody of Euripides' Bellerophon. Riding a dung beetle to heaven.

421 Flatterers of Eupolis. Attack on Sophists. inextant.

414 Birds of Aristophanes. Utopia in heaven run by Birds. 2nd place. Surprisingly free of contemporary politics.

412 Demes of Eupolis. Great Athenians of the past upbraid contemporary Athenians. inextant.

412 Death of Eupolis.

411 Thesmophoriazusae of Aristophanes. Women call for death of Euripides.

411 Lysistrata of Aristophanes. Women's sex strike for peace.

405 Frogs of Aristophanes. Tragic Poets Debate in Hades.

392 Ecclesiazusae of Aristophanes. Women take over and make communistic state.

391 Phaon of Plato Comicus. Women's sexual passions. inextant.

388 Plutus of Aristophanes. Blind old Wealth is made to see and bring prosperity to Athens, and banishes Poverty, an ugly woman.

388-380 Death of Aristophanes.