(Ἴων).
1. Of Chios, was one of the five Athenian tragic poets of the canon, and also a composer of other kinds of poetry; and, moreover, a prose writer, both of history and philosophy. He is mentioned by Strabo (xiv. p.645) among the celebrated men of Chios. He was the son of Orthomenes, and was surnamed the son of Xuthus : the latter was probably a nickname given him by the comic poets, in allusion to Xuthus, the father of the mythical Ion. (Schol. ad Aristoph. Pac. 830; Suid. Eudoc. Harpocr. s. v.) When very young he went to Athens, where he enjoyed the society of Cimon, of whom he left laudatory notices in some of his works (probably in the ύπομνήματα), which are quoted by Plutarch. (Cim. 5, 9, 16.) The same writer informs us that Ion severely criticised Pericles (Peric. 5, 28), who is said to have been his rival in love. (Ath. x. p. 436f.) Ion was familiarly acquainted with Aeschylus, if we may believe an anecdote related by Plutarch (De Profect. in Virt. 8, p. 79), but he did not come forward as a tragedian till after that poet's death. We also learn from Ion himself (in his ἐπιδηυίαι, apud Aih. xiii. p. 603e.) that he met Sophocles at Chios, when the latter was commander of the expedition against Samos, B. C. 440. His first tragedy was brought out in the 82d Olympiad (B. C. 452); he is mentioned as third in competition with Euripides and Iophon, in Ol. 87, 4 (B. C. 429-428); and he died before B. C. 421, as appears from the Peace of Aristophanes (830), which was brought out in that year. Only one victory of Ion's is mentioned, on which occasion, it is said, having gained the dithyrambic and tragic prizes at the same time. he presented every Athenian with a pitcher of Chian wine. (Schol. ad Aristoph. l.c. ; Suid. s. v. Ἀθήναιος; Ath. i. p. 3f.; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 1454, 24.) Hence it would seem that he was a man of considerable wealth.