Clonius appears in Homer’s catalogue of ships. In poetry, such names enrich epic realism and honour the multitude of warriors in heroic conflict.

Clonius appears briefly in Homer's Iliad as a leader of the Boeotians in the Catalogue of Ships and later among the casualties of war, representing the many minor heroes whose participation and deaths provide scope and realism to Homeric battle narrative. Though modern readers may overlook such figures, their inclusion serves important functions: demonstrating war's indiscriminate destruction, honoring communities who contributed forces, and creating the sense of vast conflict involving hundreds of named individuals. For students analyzing Homeric technique, attention to minor figures like Clonius reveals how the poet balances major narrative (Achilles' wrath, Hector's fate) with the broader canvas of war involving numerous contingents and individuals. These brief appearances also suggest a fuller tradition of stories that the poet could invoke but chooses not to elaborate, creating texture and depth. References to obscure warriors in later poetry can invoke this Homeric technique of cataloguing, honoring the many dead, or emphasizing war's comprehensive destruction of countless named individuals with families and homelands.