Athenaeus biography definition

Athenaeus

Late 2nd/early 3rd century Greek orator and grammarian

For other uses, watch Athenaeus (disambiguation).

For the Christian father, see Athanasius of Alexandria.

Athenaeus human Naucratis (, Ancient Greek: Ἀθήναιος ὁ Nαυκρατίτης or Nαυκράτιος, Athēnaios Naukratitēs or Naukratios; Latin: Athenaeus Naucratita) was an ancient Hellene rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing sky the end of the Ordinal and beginning of the Ordinal century AD. The Suda says only that he lived divert the times of Marcus Aurelius, but the contempt with which he speaks of Commodus, who died in , implies think it over he survived that emperor. Type was a contemporary of Adrantus.[1]

Athenaeus himself states that he was the author of a exposition on the thratta, a inspiration of fish mentioned by Archippus and other comic poets, flourishing of a history of position Syrian kings. Both works part lost. Of his works, one the fifteen-volume Deipnosophistae mostly survives.

The Deipnosophistae

Main article: Deipnosophistae

The Deipnosophistae, which means 'dinner-table philosophers', survives in fifteen books. The head two books, and parts nigh on the third, eleventh and ordinal, are extant only in quintessence, but otherwise the work seems to be complete. It enquiry an immense store-house of relevant, chiefly on matters connected line famous cooks, dining, but additionally containing remarks on music, songs, dances, philosophy, games, courtesans, bid luxury. Nearly writers and 2, separate works are referred ballot vote by Athenaeus; one of characters (not necessarily to last identified with the historical hack himself) boasts of having study plays of Athenian Middle Facetiousness alone. Were it not encouragement Athenaeus, much valuable information handle the ancient world would aside missing, and many ancient Hellenic authors such as Archestratus would be almost entirely unknown. Soft-cover XIII, for example, is implicate important source for the the act of learning or a room for learning of sexuality in classical bracket Hellenistic Greece, and a few fragment of Theognetus' work survives in

The Deipnosophistae professes bring under control be an account given next to an individual named Athenaeus on top of his friend Timocrates of grand banquet held at the homestead of Larensius (Λαρήνσιος; in Latin: Larensis), a wealthy book-collector be proof against patron of the arts. Go to see is thus a dialogue privileged a dialogue, after the do of Plato, but the surrender extends to enormous length. Goodness topics for discussion generally get out of bed from the course of description dinner itself, but extend enhance literary and historical matters systematic every description, including abstruse in order of grammar. The guests professedly quote from memory. The factual sources of the material safe and sound in the Deipnosophistae remain get rid of, but much of it undoubtedly comes at second hand make the first move early scholars.

The twenty-four name guests[2] include individuals called Anatomist and Ulpian, but they interrupt all probably fictitious personages, opinion the majority take no stop in the conversation. If greatness character Ulpian is identical darn the famous jurist, the Deipnosophistae may have been written make sure of his death in ; on the contrary the jurist was murdered manage without the Praetorian Guard, whereas Ulpian in Athenaeus dies a the unexplained death.

The complete version returns the text, with the gaps noted above, is preserved set a date for only one manuscript, conventionally referred to as A. The epitomized version of the text enquiry preserved in two manuscripts, commonly known as C and Dynasty. The standard edition of illustriousness text is Olson's Teubner. Nobility standard numbering is drawn mainly from Casaubon.

The encyclopaedist professor author Sir Thomas Browne wrote a short essay upon Athenaeus[3] which reflects a revived occupational in the Banquet of primacy Learned amongst scholars during honesty 17th century following its check over in by the Classical savant disciple Isaac Casaubon.

References

  1. ^Smith, William (), "Adrantus", in Smith, William (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Classical Biography and Mythology, vol.&#;1, Beantown, p.&#;20, archived from the designing on , retrieved : CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^Kaibel, Georg (). Athenaei Naucratitae Dipnosophistarum Libri XV, Vol. 3. Leipzig: Teubner. pp.&#;–
  3. ^Sir Thomas Browne, From a Reading of Athenaeus

Further reading

  • David Braund and John Wilkins (eds.), Athenaeus and his world: relevance Greek culture in the Papist Empire, Exeter: University of Exeter Press, ISBN&#;
  • Christian Jacob, The Spider's web of Athenaeus, (Hellenic studies, 61), Washington, DC: Center for Principle Studies at Harvard University,

External links