Xanthus of Lydia
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Xanthus of Lydia (, ''Xanthos ho Lydos'') was a Greek
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
, logographer and citizen of
Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis. At some point before 800 BC, ...
who, during the mid-fifth century BC, wrote texts on the history of
Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis. At some point before 800 BC, ...
known as ''Lydiaca'' (Λυδιακά), a work which was highly commended by Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Xanthus also wrote occasionally about geology. It is believed that Xanthus was the earliest historian to have written a significant amount on the topic of Lydian history. He is also believed to have written a work entitled ''Magica'' (Mαγικά), as well as one entitled ''Life of
Empedocles Empedocles (; ; , 444–443 BC) was a Ancient Greece, Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a native citizen of Akragas, a Greek city in Sicily. Empedocles' philosophy is known best for originating the Cosmogony, cosmogonic theory of the four cla ...
''. It is believed that Xanthus had some knowledge of Persian traditions, and it is plausible that he, a Lydian, would write about Persian religion, but it seems unlikely due to the available evidence. His seat was believed to be at Sardis, the capital. A contemporary and colleague of
Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...
, most of his writings concerned the lineage and deeds of the Lydian kings. Xanthus was known for writing in the traditional Ionian style of trying to establish the scene of popular myths. One example of Xanthus using this type of writing style is when he placed the scene of the "giant's punishment" in
Katakekaumene Katakekaumene or Catacecaumene () was a name for a district in Lydia (modern western Turkey), and a decapolis (disambiguation), union of ten cities in the area, during the Hellenistic and Roman Empire, Roman periods. The name means "burnt land" ...
. Xanthus was also known for adapting historical events that were often considered boring into passages that the general Greek public would enjoy. Xanthus was one of the chief authorities used by Nicolaus of Damascus.


Lydiaca

According to references from Stephanus of Byzantium, the ''Lydiaca'' (, ''Ludiaka'') is believed to be composed of four different books. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell how Xanthus arranged his material within the books as well as what amount of it would deal with pre- Mermnad dynasty times (i.e. before 700 BC). Due to his tendency of using anecdotes, it is believed that his historical arrangements within his works may have been loose, like Herodotus. According to a reference from Stephanus of Byzantium, it is believed that part of book IV of the ''Lydiaca'' describes the founding of Ascalon, a centre for the cult of Atargatis, from the point of view of a Lydian named Ascalus, the son of Hymenaeus (also known as Tymenaeus) during the rule of king Alkimos (also known as Akiamos). The credibility of ''Lydiaca'' has been questioned numerous times due to conflicting quotations and due to the fact that only fragments of Xanthus' works have survived. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, gives Xanthus the most credibility, because in his paper about
Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...
, he mentions that most historians earlier than
Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...
had “mythographic tendencies,” but gives Xanthus a fair amount of praise. Dionysius of Halicarnassus refers to Xanthus as “a man with an exceptionally sound knowledge of early history, who must be considered second to none in establishing the history of his own country” (I. 28.). For an intelligent writer like Dionysius to give such a strong statement about Xanthus and his works, it is inferred that he came to his conclusion by studying the original Lydiaca'' ''or at least
epitome An epitome (; , from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "to the degree of." A ...
of Menippus, and not by reading the unreliable quotations by Scytobrachion. Many interpret this as evidence that Xanthus’s work was substantive and legitimate, and not just a fabrication of some other writer such as Scytobrachion who attributed quotes to Xanthus that were never said and were actually his own statements. According to
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 "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...
, in the first book of the Lydiaca Xanthus mentions finding rocks in the shape of seashells in many inland areas, such as
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
, Matiene, and Lower Phrygia, and from this observation he speculates that the entire Anatolian Peninsula was once under water (I. 3, 4).


Magica

The ''Magica'' (, ''Magika'') is referenced once by
Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (; – ), was a Christian theology, Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A ...
, but this reference’s credibility is often questioned since Clement of Alexandria also unreliably referenced Xanthus for the date of the founding of Thasos.Pearson, L: ''Early Ionian Historians'', pages 117-120. Cambridge UP, 1939.


Notes


Works cited

* Easterling, P. E. and Bernard Knox. Greek Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1985. Google Books. Web. 29 Jan. 2010
Greek Literature
* Marincola, John. Greek Historians. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. Google Books. Web. 29 Jan. 2010
Greek Historians
* Pearson, Lionel. Early Ionian Historians. London: Oxford UP, 1939. Print. * * Seters, John Van. In Search of History: Historiography in the Ancient World and the Origins of Biblical History. New Haven: Yale UP, 1983. Google Books. Web. 29 Jan. 201
In Search of History: Historiography in the Ancient World and the Origins of Biblical History
* Tozer, Henry Fanshawe, and Max Cary. A History of Ancient Geography, Volume 1. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, n.d. Google Books. Web. 29 Jan. 2010
A History of Ancient Geography, Volume 1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xanthus Classical-era Greek historians Historians from ancient Anatolia 5th-century BC Greek historians Lydia Historians from the Achaemenid Empire Ancient Greek historians known only from secondary sources