Chaeremon of Alexandria ( /kəˈriːmən, -mɒn/; Greek: Χαιρήμων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, gen.: Ancient Greek: Χαιρήμονος; fl. 1st century AD) was a Stoic philosopher and historian ^[1] who wrote on Egyptian mythology from a "typically Stoic" perspective. ^[2] All of Chaeremon's works are lost, though a number of fragments are quoted by later authors. ^[2] Three titles are preserved: the History of Egypt, Hieroglyphika, and On Comets, with another fragment quoted from an unknown grammatical treatise of his. ^[2] According to the Suda, he was the head of the Alexandrian school of grammarians, and he may also have been head of the Museion. ^[2]

He was probably one of the ambassadors to Claudius from Alexandria in 40 AD. ^[2] He also taught Nero, probably before 49 AD when Seneca the Younger became Nero's tutor. ^[2] He may have been the grandson of the Chaeremon who accompanied the Roman prefect Aelius Gallus on his tour of Egypt in 26 AD. ^[1] His father – about whom nothing is known – was called Leonidas, and he was probably born no later than 10 AD. ^[1]

One of the poems from Martial's eleventh book of Epigrams mocks Chaeremon; as Martial did not usually attack living figures Chaeremon presumably died before 96 AD when Epigrams XI was published. ^[2]

Notes

Editions and Translations

• P. Charvet, S. Aufrère, J-M. Kowalski, A. Zucker, Le Quartette d'Alexandrie - Hérodote, Diodore, Strabon, Chérémon, Collection Bouquins, Paris, 2021, (1563 p). Aufrère provides a translation of Chaeremon's Book of Phtomyris or Critics des Aigyptiaka
• van der Horst, Pieter Willem (1987). Chaeremon: Egyptian Priest and Stoic Philosopher. Leiden: Brill.. Pieter van der Horst includes 14 certain and 14 doubtful fragments in his edition of Chaeramon's works.

References

• Gates, ed. (2012). "Chaeremon". Oxford Dictionary of African Biography. ISBN  9780195382075.