Listed 13 sub titles with search on: Biographies for destination: "KYMI Ancient city TURKEY".
405 - 330
Of Cymae in Aeolis, a celebrated Greek historian, a contemporary
of Philip and Alexander, flourished about B.C. 340. He wrote a universal history
(Historiai), in thirty books, the first that was attempted in Greece. It covers
a period of 750 years, from the return of the Heraclidae to B.C. 341. Of this
history Diodorus Siculus made an extensive use. The work, however, has perished,
with the exception of a few fragments.
This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Ephorus, (Ephoros). Of Cumae, a celebrated Greek historian, was, according to
Suidas, to whom we are indebted for our information respecting his life, a son
either of Demophilus or Antiochus; but as Plutarch (Ei ap. Delph.) mentions only
the former name, and as Ephorus's son was called Demophilus (Athen. vi.), we must
believe that the father of Ephorus was called Demophilus. Ephorus was a contemporary
of Theopompus, and lived about B. C. 408, a date which Marx, one of his editors,
strangely mistakes for the time at which Ephorus was born. Ephorus must have survived
the accession of Alexander the Great, for Clemens of Alexandria (Strom. i.) states
that Ephorus reckoned 735 years from the return of the Heracleidae down to B.
C. 333, or the year in which Alexander went to Asia. The best period of his life
must therefore have fallen in the reign of Philip. Ephorus was a pupil of Isocrates
in rhetoric, at the time when that rhetorician had opened his school in the island
of Chios; but not being very much gifted by nature, like most of his countrymen,
he was found unfit for entering upon life when he returned home, and his father
therefore sent him to school a second time. (Plut. Vit. X Orat.) In order not
to disappoint his father again, Ephorus now zealously devoted himself to the study
of oratory, and his efforts were crowned with success, for he and Theopompus were
the most distinguished among the pupils of Isocrates (Menand. Rhet. Diaires. apodeikt.
ed. Aldus), and from Seneca (de Tranq. Anim. 6) it might almost appear, that Ephorus
began the career of a public orator. Isocrates, however, dissuaded him from that
course, for he well knew that oratory was not the field on which Ephorus could
win laurels, and he exhorted him to devote himself to the study and composition
of history. As Ephorus was of a more quiet and contemplative disposition than
Theopompus, Isocrates advised the former to write the early history of Greece,
and the latter to take up the later and more turbulent periods of history. (Suidas;
Cic. de Orat. iii. 9; Phot. Bibl. Cod. 176, 260.) Plutarch (de Stoic. Repugn.
10) relates that Ephorus was among those who were accused of having conspired
against the life of king Alexander, but that he successfully refuted the charge
when he was summoned before the king.
The above is all that is known respecting the life of Ephorus. The
most celebrated of all his works, none of which have come down to us, was--1.
A History (Historiai) in thirty books. It began with the return of the Heracleidae,
or, according to Suidas, with the Trojan times, and brought the history down to
the siege of Perinthus in B. C. 341. It treated of the history of the barbarians
as well as of that of the Greeks, and was thus the first attempt at writing a
universal history that was ever made in Greece. It embraced a period of 750 years,
and each of the thirty books contained a compact portion of the history, which
formed a complete whole by itself. Each also contained a special preface and might
bear a separate title, which either Ephorus himself or some later grammarian seems
actually to have given to each book, for we know that the fourth book was called
Europe. (Diod. iv. 1, v. 1, xvi. 14, 26; Polyb. v. 33, iv. 3; Strab. vii. ; Clem.
Alex. Strom. i.) Ephorus himself did not live to complete his work. and it was
finished by his son Demophilus. Diyllus began his history at the point at which
the work of Ephorus left off. As the work is unfortunately lost, and we possess
only isolated fragments of it, it is not possible in all cases to determine the
exact contents of each book; but the two collectors and editors of the fragments
of Ephorus have done so, as far as it is feasible. Among the other works of Ephorus
we may mention--2. Peri heurematon, or on inventions, in two books. (Suidas; Athen.
iv., viii., xiv. ; Strab. xiii.) 3. Suntagma epichorion. (Plut. de Vit. et Poes.
Homer. 2.) This work, however, seems to have been nothing but a chapter of the
fifth book of the historiai. 4. Peri lexeos. (Theon, Progymn. 2, 22; comp. Cic.
Orat. 57.) This work, too, like a few others which are mentioned as separate productions,
may have been only a portion of the History. Suidas mentions some more works,
such as Peri agathon kai kakon, and Paradoxon ton hekastachou Biblia, of which,
however, nothing at all is known, and it is not impossible that they may have
been excerpta or abridgments of certain portions of the History, which were made
by late compilers and published tinder his name.
As for the character of Ephorus as an historian, we have ample evidence
that, in accordance with the simplicity and sincerity of his character, he desired
to give a faithful account of the events he had to relate. He shewed his good
sense in not attempting to write a history of the period previous to the return
of the Heracleidae; but the history of the subsequent time is still greatly intermixed
with fables and mythical traditions; and it must be acknowledged that his attempts
to restore a genuine history by divesting the traditions from what he considered
mythical or fabulous, were in most cases highly unsuccessful, and sometimes even
absurd and puerile. He exercised a sort of criticism which is anything but that
of a real historian (Strab. xii.), and in some instances he forced his authorities
to suit his own views. For the early times he seems to have preferred the logographers
to the epic poets, though the latter, too, were not neglected. Even the later
portions of his history, where Ephorus had such guides as Herodotus, Thucydides,
and Xenophon, contained such discrepancies from his great predecessors, and on
points on which they were entitled to credit, that Ephorus, to say the least,
cannot be regarded as a sound and sate guide in the study of history. The severest
critic of Ephorus was Timaeus, who never neglected an opportunity of pointing
out his inaccuracies; several authors also wrote separate books against Ephorus,
such as Alexinus, the pupil of Eubulides (Diog. Laert. ii. 106, 110), and Strato
the Peripatetic. (Diog. Laert. v. 59.) Porphyrius (ap. Euseb. Praep. Evang. x.
2) charges Ephorus with constant plagiarisns; but this accusation is undoubtedly
very much exaggerated, for we not only find no traces of plagiarism in the fragments
extant, but we frequently find Ephorus disputing the statements of his predecessors.
(Joseph. c. Apion. i. 3.) Polybius (xii. 25) praises him for his knowledge of
maritime warfare, but adds that he was utterly ignorant of the mode of warfare
on land; Strabo (viii.) acknowledges his merits, by saying that he separated the
historical from the geographical portions of his work; and, in regard to the latter,
he did not confine himself to mere lists of names, but he introduced investigations
concerning the origin of nations, their constitutions and manners, and many of
the geographical fragments which have come down to us contain lively and beautiful
descriptions. (Polyb. ix. 1; Strab. ix., x.) As regards the style of Ephorus,
it is such as might be expected from a disciple of Isocrates : it is clear, lucid,
and elaborately polished, but at the same time diffuse and deficient in power
and energy, so that Ephorus is by no means equal to his master. (Polyb. xii. 28;
Dionys. de Comp. Verb. 26 ; Demetr. Peri hermen. ; Dion Chrysost. Orat. xviii.,
ed. Morel.; Plut. Pericl. 28; Philostr. Vit. Soph. i. 17; Cic. Orat. 51; Phot.
Bibl. Cod. 176.) The fragments of the works of Ephorus, the number of which might
probably be much increased if Diodorus had always mentioned his authorities, were
first collected by Meier Marx, Carlsruhe, 1815, 8vo., who afterwards published
some additions in Friedemann and Seebode's Miscellan. Crit. ii. 4. They are also
contained in C. and Th. Muller's Fragm. Historicor. Graec., Paris, 1841, 3vo.
Both editors have prefixed to their editions critical dissertations on the life
and writings of Ephorus.
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Oct 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Ephorus, a man indisputably noteworthy, a disciple of Isocrates the orator, and the author of the Historyand of the work on Inventions, was from this city; and so was Hesiod the poet, still earlier than Ephorus, for Hesiod himself states that his father Dius left Aeolian Cyme and migrated to Boeotia:And he settled near Helicon in a wretched village, Ascre, which is bad in winter, oppressive in summer, and pleasant at no time. (Perseus Project - Strabo, Geography 13.3.6)
Among historians Demophilus, the son of the chronicler Ephorus, who treated in his work the history of what is known as the Sacred War, which had been passed over by his father, began his account with the capture of the shrine at Delphi and the pillaging of the oracle by Philomelus the Phocian. (Perseus Project - Diodorus Siculus, Library 16.14.3)
Demophilus, (Demophilos). The son of Ephorus, was an historian in the time of
Alexander the Great. He continued his father's history by adding to it the history
of the Sacred War from the taking of Delphi and the plunder of its temple by Philomelus
the Phocian, B. C. 357. (Diod. xvi. 14; Suid. s. v. Ephippos, where Ephoros should
be read for Ephippos; Athen. vi.; Schol. Hom. Il. xiii. 301; Vossius, de Hist.
Graec., ed. Westermann.)
Ephorus. Of Cumae, called the Younger, was likewise an historian, but he is mentioned only by Suidas, according to whom he wrote a history of Galienus in twenty-seven books, a work on Corinth, one on the Alenadae, and a few others. The name Galienus in this account, it should be observed, is only a correction of Volaterranus, for the common reading in Suidas is Galenou. (Comp. Marx, Ephor. Fragm.)
Of Cyme: author of ode on Opis and Hecaerge, tomb of.
This city Hesiod himself has satirized in verses which allude to his father, because at an earlier time his father changed his abode to this place from the Aeolian Cyme, saying: And he settled near Helicon in a wretched village, Ascre, which is bad in winter, oppressive in summer, and pleasant at no time. (Perseus Project - Strabo, Geography 9.2.25)
But it is not agreed that Homer was from Cyme, for many peoples lay claim to him. (Perseus Project - Strabo, Geography 13.3.6)
Editor's Information: Biography, reports and essays on Homer can be found at Ios island, one of the places that claim the honour of his origin and where is his tomb. Chios and Smyrna are among the claimants.
Editor’s Information:
Biography, reports and essays on Homer can be found at his birthplace the island of Ios, one of the places that claim the honour of his origin and where is his tomb. There are also other places among the claimants, which are mentioned in an epigram (Gell. III, 11), including the island of Ios: the island of Chios, Smyrna, Rhodes, Colophon, Salamis in Cyprus, Argos, Athens, Cyme in Aeolis, Pylos and Ithaca.
Perseus Project Index. Total results on 4/7/2001: 17 for Melanopus, 1 for Melanopos.
Aristagoras, Tyrant of Cuma, son of Heracleides, one of the Ionian chiefs left by Dareius to guard the bridge over the Danube. (On the revolt of the Ionians from Persia, B. C. 500, Aristagoras was taken by stratagem and delivered up to his fellow-citizens, who, however, dismissed him uninjured. (Herod. iv. 138, v. 37, 38)
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