place
Seriphos
Seriphus
also: Seriphio, Seriphus
A small and obscure island of the Cyclades, byword for insignificance; in the Themistocles anecdote a Seriphian taunts him that his fame is owed to Athens, not himself.
Reading notes
- Cato the Elder, On Old Age §8 a man of Seriphus
Seriphos was a tiny, barren island of the Cyclades, a byword for nowhere. Themistocles' retort turns the taunt back: obscurity, not merit, is what would have kept either man unknown.