Neanthes of Cyzicus (; el, Νεάνθης ὁ Κυζικηνός) was a Greek historian and rhetorician of
Cyzicus in
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
living in the fourth and third centuries BC.
Biography
Neanthes was a pupil of
Philiscus of Miletus Philiscus may refer to:
* Philiscus of Athens comic poet
* Philiscus of Aegina (4th century BC) Cynic philosopher
* Philiscus of Abydos (4th century BC)
* Philiscus of Miletus rhetorician, see Neanthes of Cyzicus
* Philiscus of Corcyra (c. 300 B ...
("who is reasonably certain to have died before 300 BC"
[Michael Weißenberger, "Neanthes," ''Brill's New Pauly'', 2011]). Philiscus himself had been a pupil of
Isocrates
Isocrates (; grc, Ἰσοκράτης ; 436–338 BC) was an ancient Greek rhetorician, one of the ten Attic orators. Among the most influential Greek rhetoricians of his time, Isocrates made many contributions to rhetoric and education throu ...
. In an honorary decree of 287 BC, the people of
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The orac ...
award him the
proxeny, and this is the earliest of "only five decrees from the third century honoring historians, teachers of grammar or literature, or philosophers for their educational activities in the cities' gymnasia."
Neanthes was a voluminous writer, principally of
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
, but very little has reached us to form any judgement of his merits. The various authors that quote him seem, with rare exceptions, to place great reliance on his accuracy and judgement. He is frequently referred to by
Diogenes Laërtius
Diogenes Laërtius ( ; grc-gre, Διογένης Λαέρτιος, ; ) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Nothing is definitively known about his life, but his surviving ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' is a principal sour ...
,
Athenaeus
Athenaeus of Naucratis (; grc, Ἀθήναιος ὁ Nαυκρατίτης or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; la, Athenaeus Naucratita) was a Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing about the end of ...
, and by several of the early
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
writers, as well as by others. Among the writings of Neanthes there were:
#''Memoirs of king Attalus''
#''Hellenica''
#''Lives of illustrious men''
#''Pythagorica''
#''The myths about the city''
#''On Purification''
#''Annals''
He probably wrote an account of Cyzicus, as we can infer from a passage in
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
. He may also have written many
panegyric
A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens.
Etymology
The word originated as a compound of gr ...
al orations and a work Περὶ κακοζηλίας ῥητορικῆς or Περὶ ζηλοτυπίας against the
Asiatic style of rhetoric.
Leonard Whibley
Leonard Whibley (20 April 1864 – 8 November 1941) was a British scholar who edited ''A Companion to Greek Studies'' from 1905 to 1931.Sydney C. Roberts, revised by Mark Pottle (2004).Whibley, Leonard (1863–1941). ''Oxford Dictionary of Nationa ...
, ''A Companion to Greek Studies'', Cambridge University Press, 1905
p. 88
/ref> This latter work, as well as the history of Attalus I (who ruled 241–197), are irreconcilable with the dates of the Delphian decree and of Philiscus of Miletus; therefore, it is supposed that they are the work of a later Neanthes of the second century BC.[
]
Notes
References
*
* Fuentes González, Pedro Pablo, �
Néanthe de Cyzique
��, in R. Goulet (ed.), ''Dictionnaire des Philosophes Antiques'', vol. IV, Paris, CNRS, 2005, p. 587-594.
{{Authority control
3rd-century BC Greek people
2nd-century BC Greek people
Ancient Greek biographers
Hellenistic-era historians
3rd-century BC historians
2nd-century BC historians
Historians from Hellenistic Anatolia
People from Cyzicus