Parentage.

Bacchylides was born at Iulis, the chief town of Ceos. His father's name is given as Medon, Meilon (clearly an error for Meidon), or Meidylus. His paternal grandfather Bacchylides had been distinguished as an athlete. His mother was a younger sister of the poet Simonides, who, like his nephew, was a native of Iulis.

Date of birth.

Simonides was born in 556 b.c.; Pindar, probably in 518: and ancient tradition said that Bacchylides was younger than Pindar. The earliest work of Bacchylides which can be approximately dated may belong to 481 or 479. The date of his birth cannot be precisely fixed, but may probably be placed somewhere within the period from 512 to 505 b.c.

Notices in the Chronicle of Eusebius.—(1) ἤκμαζεν.

According to the Chronicle of Eusebius, he ‘was in his Prime’ (ἤκμαζεν) in Ol. 78. 2, 467 b.c. The physical prime denoted by the word ἤκμαζεν was usually placed at about the fortieth year. If such a reckoning could be assumed in the present case, we should have 507 b.c. as the approximate date of birth; and that is probably not far from the truth. But, seeing how little appears to have been known as to this poet's life, it is unlikely that Eusebius had found a record of the birth-year, from which he computed the date of the prime.