Simonides of Ceos was born in Ioulis, the outermost island of the Cyclades. Ancient sources offer conflicting dates for his birth, ranging from 556 BC to 532 BC. He lived until at least 468 BC, surviving into his eighties or nineties. His father was named Leoprepes and he descended from Hylichus. Most scholars accept the span of 556 to 468 BC as the most plausible timeline despite some awkward consequences. This would make him about fifty years older than his nephew Bacchylides. Yet he remained active internationally even at eighty years of age. Other ancient records suggest a grandfather with the same name won a poetry competition in Athens in 489 BC. That grandfather would have been over one hundred years old if Simonides' birth date were correct. Some argue these earliest references might actually point to this grandfather rather than the poet himself.
Patrons In Thessaly And Sicily
After leaving Athens around thirty years of age, Simonides moved to Thessaly. There he found protection under the Scopadae and Aleuadae families. These were two of the most powerful clans in the Thessalian feudal aristocracy. The head of the Scopadae clan was named Scopas. He was fond of drinking and vain displays of wealth. Scopas commissioned a victory ode for a boxer but refused to pay the full fee. He told the poet to collect half the money from Castor and Pollux instead. Later that night, a banquet hall collapsed while Simonides was inside. He had left briefly to see two visitors who turned out to be the twins. They saved his life by sending him away just before the roof fell. This event inspired his system of mnemonics based on images and places. He later spent his final years in Sicily as a friend of Hieron of Syracuse. He acted as a peace-maker between Hieron and another tyrant named Theron of Acragas.Epigrams For The Persian Wars