“The Teucrians from Crete, of whom we hear first in the Elegiac poet Callinus, and later in many writers after him, were answered with the following oracle, etc.”

Strabo Geography [the temple of Apollo Smintheus]

“According to Callisthenes, Sardis was first taken by the Cimmerians and later by the Trerians and Lycians —his authority for this is the Elegiac poet Callinus —and last of all came its capture in the days of Cyrus and Croesus.1 Now Callinus declares that the Cimmerian invasion which involved the sack of Sardis was directed against the Esioneans, and for this reason the Scepsian （Demetrius） surmises that Esioneans is the Ionic form of Asioneans , Esionia perhaps being equivalent to Asia, like Meonia in Homer, where we read ‘In the Asian meadowland beside the streams of Cayster.’ The city made a remarkable recovery afterwards because of the fertility of the soil, becoming second to none of its neighbours, but in recent times has lost much of its population through earthquakes.”

Strabo Geography [the temple of Apollo]

“In ancient times the Magnesians, after a long period of prosperity, were unfortunate enough to be exterminated by a Cimmerian people called the Trerians, and in the following year their territory was occupied by the Milesians. Now Callinus speaks of the Magnesians as a still prosperous people and succesful in their war against the Ephesians, while Archilochus clearly knows of their destruction when he says: ‘I bewail the woes of Thasos, not of Magnesia’ from which we may judge that he comes later than Callinus. It is an earlier invasion of the Cimmerians of which Callinus speaks in the line ‘Now comes upon us the army of the dastard Cimmerians,’ which he connects with the taking of Sardis.”

Strabo Geography [the temple of Apollo Smintheus]

“We are told by Herodotus2 that the Pamphylians belonged to a combination of peoples who went forth from Troy with Amphilochus and Calchas. Though most of them remained behind, some were scattered over the face of the earth. According to Callinus, Calchas died at Clarus, but the peoples crossed the Taurus under Mopsus and partly stayed in Pamphylia and partly were distributed through Cilicia and Syria as far as Phoenicia.”

Strabo Geography [the temple of Apollo Smintheus]

“The Magnesians of Magnesia on the Maeander were destroyed, as we read in the Elegiac Poems of Callinus and in Archilochus, by excessive luxury, their city being captured by the Ephesians.”

Athenaeus Doctors at Dinner

“A few years later, Thebes was attacked by an expedition under Thersander, called by the Greeks that of the Epigoni or Young Generation… On this war the Thebans possessed Epic poems, and these Callinus, when he had occasion to speak of them, ascribed to Homer, an ascription which finds agreement among many competent authorities, and for my part I put this poetry second only to the Iliad and the Odyssey. ”

Pausanias Description of Greece [the Seven against Thebes]

“Among the chief writers in this metre Proclus places Callinus of Ephesus and Mimnermus of Colophon, and also Philetas son of Telephus, of Cos, and Callimachus son of Battus.”

Photius Library [on Elegy]

“Semonides is made contemporary with Archilochus, and Callinus comes a little earlier, Archilochus speaking of Magnesia as destroyed3 and Callinus as still flourishing. Eumelus of Corinth is said to have belonged to an earlier date and been contemporary with Archias the founder of Syracuse.4”

Clement of Alexandria Miscellanies

Callinus: —

How long will ye lie idle?5 When, young men, will ye show a stout heart? Have ye no shame of your sloth before them that dwell round about you? Purpose ye to sit in peace though the land is full of war? … and let every man cast his javelin once more as he dies. For 'tis an honourable thing and a glorious to a man to fight the foe for land and children and wedded wife; and death shall befall only when the Fates ordain it. Nay, so soon as war is mingled let each go forward spear in poise and shield before stout heart; for by no means may a man escape death, nay not if he come of immortal lineage. Oftentime, it may be, he returneth safe from the conflict of battle and the thud of spears, and the doom of death cometh upon him at home; yet such is not dear to the people nor regretted, whereas if aught happen to the other sort he is bewailed of small and great. When a brave man dieth the whole people regretteth him, and while he lives he is as good as a demigod; for in their eyes he is a tower, seeing that he doeth single-handed as good work as many together.

Stobaeus Anthology [in praise of courage]

To Zeus

Ephesus used to be called Smyrna, as for instance in a passage of Callinus, who in addressing Zeus6 calls its inhabitants Smyrnaeans:

and have pity on the Smyrnaeans;

and again

and remember if e'er to Thee fair thighs of oxen [Smyrnaeans have burnt.]7

Strabo Geography

“8Another and an earlier invasion of the Cimmerians is mentioned by Callinus, where he says:

and now cometh the host of dastardly Cimmerians;

where he refers to the sack of Sardis.9

Strabo Geography

“The name of the Trerians, a Thracian people, is given with three syllables in the poet Callinus:

bringing the Trerians10

Stephanus of Byzantium Lexicon:

1 the three dates are prob. 652, 646, and 546 B.C.

2 7. 91

3 c. 650 B.C. （see vol. ii., Archil.）

4 see L.G. i. p. 12; Syracuse was founded in 734 B.C.

5 cf. Corinna 41 （ L.G. iii）

6 or emending the Gk. in his Nome to Zeus

7 supplied by Casaubon

8 cf. Str. 13. 627, Theogn. 113, 603

9 see p. 40

10 see p. 40