Silloi

Silloi (Greek plural of σίλλος sillos meaning "squint-eyed") is a term for a form of philosophical satire or parody in ancient Greek. Silloi are poems written in hexameter; they originated in this form with Timon of Phlius, circa 250 BC, who composed three books of them (of which only fragments survive, some 135 verses). Xenophanes of Colophon had written philosophical satire earlier, but Timon is given credit for the silloi form. In general, although there was some personalized satire, Timon's verses mainly satirized the philosophies of other philosophers, and not the philosophers themselves.

References

• Brogan, T.V.F. "Silloi" in Alex Preminger and T.V.F. Brogan, eds., The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993. 1148.