HIPPIAS OF ELIS, Greek sophist, was born about the middle of the 5th century B.C. At Athens he made the acquaint ance of Socrates, and seems to have lectured on politics, mathe matics, music and astronomy. He boasted that he was more popular than Protagoras, and could deliver an extempore address on any subject to the assembly at Olympia. Plato's dialogues, the Hippias major and minor, contain an expose of his methods, exaggerated no doubt, but written with full knowledge of the man. His aim was not to give knowledge, but to provide his pupils with the weapons of argument, to make them fertile in discussion on all subjects alike. Hippias did a real service to Greek literature by insisting on the meaning of words, the value of rhythm and literary style. He is credited with an excellent work on Homer, collections of Greek and foreign literature, and archaeological treatises, but only the barest notes remain.
See Diels, Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, vol. 2 (4th ed., 192 2) ; and Uberweg, Grund. der Gesch. der Phil., pt. 1 (1926).