Agathocles ( Greek: Ἀγαθοκλῆς; fl. 3rd century BC) was a Greek historian who wrote a history of Cyzicus (περὶ Κυζίκου) in the Ionic dialect. [1] He is called by Athenaeus both a Babylonian [2] and a Cyzican. [3] He may originally have come from Babylon, and have settled at Cyzicus. The first and third books are referred to by Athenaeus. [4] The time at which Agathocles lived is unknown, and his work is now lost; but it seems to have been extensively read in antiquity, as it is referred to by Cicero, [5] Pliny, [6] and other ancient writers. Agathocles also spoke of the origin of Rome. [7] [8] The scholiast on Apollonius [9] cites Memoirs (ὑπομνήματα) by an Agathocles, who is usually supposed to be the same as the above-mentioned one. [10] [11] [12]
There are several other writers of the same name, whose works are lost to us but are mentioned by later writers:
- Agathocles of Atrax, who wrote a work on fishing. [13]
- Agathocles of Chios, who wrote a work on agriculture. [14] [15]
- Agathocles of Miletus, who wrote a work on rivers. [16]
- Agathocles of Samos, who wrote a work on the constitution of Pessinus. [17]
References
- ^ Lesky, Albin (1996). History of Greek Literature. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company. p. 624. ISBN 0-87220-350-6.
- ^ Athenaeus, i. p. 30, a. ix. p. 375, a
- ^ Athenaeus xiv. p. 649, f
- ^ Athenaeus, ix. p. 375, f., xii. p. 515, a
- ^ Cicero, De Divinatione i. 24
- ^ Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia elenchus of books iv. v. vi
- ^ Festus s. v. Romam
- ^ Solinus, Polyhistor 1
- ^ iv. 761
- ^ Compare Schol. ad Hes. Theog. 485
- ^ Stephanus of Byzantium s. v. Βέσβικος
- ^ Etymol. M. s. v. Δίκτη
- ^ ἁλιευτικὰ, Suda, 's.v. Κικίλιος
- ^ Varro, and Columella, De Re Rustica i. 1
- ^ Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia xxii. 44
- ^ Plutarch, de Fluv. p. 1153, c
- ^ Plutarch, de Fluv. p. 1159, a
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain:
Smith, William (1870).
"Agathocles". In
Smith, William (ed.).
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. p. 65.
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- Set index articles on ancient Greece
- 3rd-century BC Greek writers
- 3rd-century BC historians
- People from Cyzicus
- Babylonian people
- Ancient Milesians
- Ancient Samians
- Ancient Greek historians known only from secondary sources
- Ancient Greek writers known only from secondary sources
- Ionic Greek writers
- Hellenistic-era historians
- Historians from Hellenistic Anatolia