Note 429 — Chapter III · Samos

Some ancient authorities held that Theodorus flourished more than a century before Polycrates (Plin. N.H. XXXV. 43 (152); cp. Frazer, Paus. IV. p. 237). Theodorus is always associated with Rhoecus and the two names may have been borne in alternate generations by one family of artists. This would not require the Rhoeci to have flourished longer in Samos than the Wedgwoods have in Staffordshire. Whether or no this explanation holds, the divergence in dates points to the industry having flourished for a long time in the island. If one date for Theodorus is insisted on, that of Hdt. (I. 51), which makes him the elder contemporary of Polycrates, must be chosen.