Editing Philochorus

{{Short description|Greek historian (c. 340 BC – c. 261 BC)}}
'''Philochorus''' of Athens ({{IPAc-en|f|ɪ|ˈ|l|ɒ|k|ə|r|ə|s}}; {{langx|grc|Φιλόχορος|Philochoros}}; {{Circa}} 340 BC – {{Circa}} 261 BC),<ref>Meister, Klaus (Berlin). " Philochorus." Brill's New Pauly. Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider. Brill Online , 2012. Reference. 21 September 2012 <http://www.paulyonline.brill.nl/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/philochorus-e920850></ref> was a [[Greek historiography|Greek historian]] and [[Atthidographer]] of the third century BC, and a member of a priestly family. He was a seer and interpreter of signs, and a man of considerable influence.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=413}}

==Biography==
Philochorus was strongly anti-[[Macedon]]ian in politics, and a bitter opponent of [[Demetrius I of Macedon|Demetrius Poliorcetes]]. When [[Antigonus Gonatas]], the son of the latter, besieged and captured Athens (261 BC), Philochorus was put to death for having supported [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]] of Egypt, who had encouraged the Athenians in their resistance to Macedonia.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=413}}<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/244231/ancient-Greek-civilization/26532/Greek-civilization-in-the-4th-century#ref298285 Ancient Greek civilization in the fourth century: Historical writings] at the [[Britannica Online Encyclopedia]]</ref>

His investigations into the usages and customs of his native [[Attica, Greece|Attica]] were embodied in an ''[[Atthis (Philochorus)|Atthis]]'', in seventeen books, a history of Athens from the earliest times to 262 BC. Considerable fragments are preserved in the lexicographers, scholiasts, [[Athenaeus]], and elsewhere. The work was epitomized by the author himself, and later by Asinius Pollio of Tralles (perhaps a freedman of the famous [[Gaius Asinius Pollio (consul 40 BC)|Gaius Asinius Pollio]]).{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=413}}

Philochorus also wrote on [[oracle]]s, [[divination]] and sacrifices; the mythology and religious observances of the [[Tetrapolis (Attica)|tetrapolis of Attica]]; the myths of [[Sophocles]]; the lives of [[Euripides]] and [[Pythagoras]]; the foundation of [[Salamis, Cyprus]]. He compiled chronological lists of the ''[[archon]]s'' and [[Olympic Games|Olympiads]], and made a collection of Attic inscriptions, the first of its kind in Greece.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=413}}

==Critique of his work==
Philostratus was a conscientious and meticulous writer, who placed great importance on chronologies, and his style was clear and succinct.
His works were highly valued throughout antiquity and are frequently referenced by later historians, lexicographers, and commentators, including [[Plutarch]], [[Athenaeus]], [[Strabo]], [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]], [[Clement of Alexandria]], [[Diogenes Laertius]], [[Harpocration]], [[Stephanus of Byzantium]], [[Zenobius]], [[Hesychius of Alexandria|Hesychius]], [[Eusebius]], the Lexicon of [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]], the [[Etymologicum Magnum|Great Etymological Dictionary]], [[John Malalas]], [[Tertullian]], and the Latin mythographer [[Fulgentius]], among others. <ref>Plutarch, 16.1, 19.2, 19.3</ref>

Over two hundred fragments have survived, most of them from his work ''Atthis''.<ref>Müller, p. 384</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Philochorus |volume=21|page=413}}

* {{cite book |author=Plutarch |author-link=Plutarch |title=[[Parallel Lives]] |at=Theseus, 16.1, 19.2, 19.3.}}
* {{citation|url=https://archive.org/details/fragmentahistori01mueluoft/page/384/mode/1up?view=theater|encyclopedia= Attalus.Org |author=Müller|title=Fragmenta historicorum Grecorum (Fragments of Greek historians) |language=el}}. Volume I, p. 384

==Further reading==
*Greek text and commentary:  [[Felix Jacoby]], [[Fragmente der griechischen Historiker]], n. 328
*English translation and commentary: Phillip Harding, ''The story of Athens: the fragments of the local chronicles of Attika'' (Routledge, London - New York 2008). {{ISBN|0-415-33809-3}}
*Italian translation and commentary: Virgilio Costa, ''Filocoro di Atene''. vol. I: ''I frammenti dell'Atthis'' (Edizioni TORED, Tivoli [Roma] 2007). {{ISBN|978-88-88617-01-5}}

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20051217215359/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2632.html Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]}}
*[http://www.attalus.org/translate/philochorus.html Online translation of the fragments]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ancient Athenian historians]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC Greek historians]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek seers]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek anthologists]]
[[Category:340s BC births]]
[[Category:260s BC deaths]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek historians known only from secondary sources]]