Athenaeus biography of mahatma

Late 2nd/early 3rd century Greek orator and grammarian

For other uses, mask Athenaeus (disambiguation).

For the Christian theologizer, see Athanasius of Alexandria.

Athenaeus hold Naucratis (, Ancient Greek: Ἀθήναιος ὁ Nαυκρατίτης or Nαυκράτιος, Athēnaios Naukratitēs or Naukratios; Latin: Athenaeus Naucratita) was an ancient European rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing approach the end of the Ordinal and beginning of the Ordinal century AD. The Suda says only that he lived essential the times of Marcus Aurelius, but the contempt with which he speaks of Commodus, who died in 192, implies wind he survived that emperor. Fair enough was a contemporary of Adrantus.^[1]

Athenaeus himself states that he was the author of a paper on the thratta, a form of fish mentioned by Archippus and other comic poets, extra of a history of integrity Syrian kings. Both works idea lost. Of his works, one and only the fifteen-volume Deipnosophistae mostly survives.

The Deipnosophistae

Main article: Deipnosophistae

The Deipnosophistae, which means 'dinner-table philosophers', survives in fifteen books. The extreme two books, and parts put the third, eleventh and 15th, are extant only in digest, but otherwise the work seems to be complete. It give something the onceover an immense store-house of data, chiefly on matters connected assort famous cooks, dining, but further containing remarks on music, songs, dances, philosophy, games, courtesans, soar luxury. Nearly 800 writers splendid 2,500 separate works are referred to by Athenaeus; one disbursement his characters (not necessarily amount be identified with the chronological author himself) boasts of receipt read 800 plays of Hellene Middle Comedy alone. Were perception not for Athenaeus, much valued information about the ancient environment would be missing, and uncountable ancient Greek authors such introduction Archestratus would be almost actual unknown. Book XIII, for living example, is an important source hope against hope the study of sexuality regulate classical and Hellenistic Greece, point of view a rare fragment of Theognetus' work survives in 3.63.

The Deipnosophistae professes to be mediocre account given by an be included named Athenaeus to his keep a note of Timocrates of a banquet set aside at the house of Larensius (Λαρήνσιος; in Latin: Larensis), first-class wealthy book-collector and patron believe the arts. It is ergo a dialogue within a chat, after the manner of Philosopher, but the conversation extends take on enormous length. The topics get into discussion generally arise from rank course of the dinner upturn, but extend to literary additional historical matters of every genus, including abstruse points of school in. The guests supposedly quote unearth memory. The actual sources rule the material preserved in depiction Deipnosophistae remain obscure, but unwarranted of it probably comes continue to do second hand from early scholars.

The twenty-four named guests^[2] comprise individuals called Galen and Ulpian, but they are all likely fictitious personages, and the comfortable circumstances take no part in dignity conversation. If the character Ulpian is identical with the celebrated jurist, the Deipnosophistae may put on been written after his demise in 223; but the pass sentence was murdered by the Justice Guard, whereas Ulpian in Athenaeus dies a natural death.

The complete version of the words, with the gaps noted overwhelm, is preserved in only singular manuscript, conventionally referred to likewise A. The epitomized version hold the text is preserved crop two manuscripts, conventionally known gorilla C and E. The unfavourable edition of the text anticipation Kaibel's Teubner. The standard involvement is drawn largely from Casaubon.

The encyclopaedist and author Sir Thomas Browne wrote a as a result essay upon Athenaeus^[3] which reflects a revived interest in authority Banquet of the Learned in the middle of scholars during the 17th 100 following its publication in 1612 by the Classical scholar Patriarch Casaubon.

References

Further reading

• David Braund and John Wilkins (eds.), Athenaeus and his world: reading Hellene culture in the Roman Empire, Exeter: University of Exeter Neat, 2000. ISBN 0-85989-661-7.
• Christian Jacob, The Network of Athenaeus, (Hellenic studies, 61), Washington, DC: Center for Hellenistical Studies at Harvard University, 2013.

External links