The Amycos Satyrykos is a fragmentary satyr play by the fifth-century BCE Athenian dramatist Sophocles.
Content This satyr play almost certainly told the story of the Argonauts and their encounter with Amycus, an inhospitable king in Bithynia, who would challenge travellers to a boxing match before allowing them to draw water for their ships, and invariably killed his opponents.Jebb 2010 p. 71 However, upon landing, Polydeuces promptly challenged and defeated the king, and depending on the author, the Argonaut then either killed Amycos Apollonius of Rhodes 2, 1-97 or made him swear an oath on his life that he would no longer “maltreat strangers”.Theocritus 22, 27-134Jebb 2010 p. 71Lloyd-Jones 1996 p. 45 Jebb believes another ending, which was related by Periander,Schol. Apollonius Rhodos 2. 98 wherein Amycos was put in chains, would have been more suitable for a satyr play; unfortunately, it is impossible to say for certain which of these endings was used by Sophocles Jebb p. 71
Date Unfortunately, no date more precise than the 5th century BCE can as yet be reliably ascribed to the writing or production of the play.
Extant Sources Fragments of the Amycos by Sophocles are only found in Athenaeus, Deipnosophists 9, 400B
References
Jebb, Richard C. et al. (2010) The Fragments of Sophocles, Vol. 1 Cambridge University Press Lloyd-Jones, Hugh (1996) Sophocles Fragments, Vol. 3 Loeb Classical library Apollonius of Rhodes 2, 1-97 Theocritus 22, 27-134 Schol. Apollonius Rhodos 2. 98