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ἢν ἀποκτείνῃ τις ὑμῶν Φιλοκράτη τὸν Στρούθιον,
The phrase Φιλοκράτη τὸν Στρούθιον refers to a specific historical figure, Philocles (or Philocrates), a notorious Athenian demagogue and general active during the Peloponnesian War, whose nickname 'Strouthion' (The Sparrow) is attested in other sources (e.g., Plutarch, *Nicias* 10.2) as a derisive reference to his small stature or flighty political nature. While the sentence presents a hypothetical conditional ('if anyone kills...'), the specific naming of this individual in the context of Aristophanes' *Birds* (produced 414 BCE) creates a sharp anachronistic irony: Philocles was not yet a prominent figure at the time of the play's setting (the mythical founding of Nephelococcygia), yet his contemporary notoriety allows the audience to recognize the threat as a direct commentary on the political violence and mob justice characteristic of the late 5th century Athenian democracy, particularly following the Sicilian Expedition disasters.
Birds. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.