Editing Theopompus

{{Short description|Greek historian and rhetorician (c.380–c.315 BC)}}
{{other uses}}

'''Theopompus''' ({{langx|grc|Θεόπομπος}}, ''Theópompos''; {{Circa}} 380 BC{{snd}}{{Circa}} 315 BC) was an [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] historian and [[rhetoric]]ian who was a student of [[Isocrates]].{{sfn|Colby|Williams|1905|p=233}} 

==Biography==

=== Early life and education ===
Theopompus was born on the [[Aegean Islands|Aegean island]] of [[Chios]] in 378 or 377 BCE.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Theopompus - Livius |url=https://www.livius.org/articles/person/theopompus/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.livius.org}}</ref> In his early youth, he seems to have spent some time at [[Athens]], with his father Damasistratus, who had been exiled for his [[Laconia|Laconian]] sympathies. In Athens, he became a pupil of [[Isocrates]], and rapidly made progress in rhetoric;<ref name=":0" /> we are told that Isocrates used to say that [[Ephorus]] required the spur but Theopompus the bit.<ref>Walker 1911, p. 787.</ref><ref>Cicero. Brutus, 204.</ref>

At first he appears to have composed [[epideictic]] speeches, in which he attained to such proficiency that in 352–351 BC he gained the prize of oratory given by [[Artemisia II of Caria]] in honour of her husband, although Isocrates was himself among the competitors. It is said to have been the advice of his teacher that finally determined his career as an historian&mdash;a career for which he was peculiarly qualified owing to his abundant patrimony and his wide knowledge of men and places. Through the influence of [[Alexander the Great|Alexander III]], he was permitted to return to Chios around 333 BC, and figured for some time as one of the leaders of the aristocratic party in his native town. After Alexander's death, he was again expelled, and took refuge with [[Ptolemy I of Egypt|Ptolemy]] in [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], where he appears to have met with a somewhat cold reception. The exact date of his death isn't know, but scholars have placed it around 320 BC.<ref name=":0" />

==Career and Works==
The works of Theopompus were chiefly historical, and are much quoted by later writers. They included an ''Epitome'' of [[Herodotus]]'s ''Histories'' (whether this work is actually his is debated),{{sfn|Christ|1993|pp=47–52}} the ''Hellenica'' (Ἑλληνικά), the ''History of Philip'', and several panegyrics and hortatory addresses, the chief of which was the ''Letter to Alexander''.{{sfn|Walker|1911|p=787}}

===The ''Hellenica''===
The ''Hellenica'' treated of the history of Greece, in twelve books, from 411 BC (where [[Thucydides]] breaks off) to 394 BC &mdash; the date of the [[Battle of Cnidus]].<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]]. ''Historical Library'', XIII.42 and XIV.84.</ref> Of this work, only a few fragments were known up till 1907. The ''[[Hellenica Oxyrhynchia|papyrus fragment]]'' of a Greek historian of the 4th century BC, discovered by [[B. P. Grenfell]] and [[A. S. Hunt]], and published by them in ''Oxyrhynchus Papyri'' (Vol. 5, 1908), has been recognized by [[Eduard Meyer]], [[Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff]] and [[Georg Busolt]] as a portion of the ''Hellenica''. This identification has been disputed, however, by [[Friedrich Blass]], [[J. B. Bury]], [[s:Author:Edward Mewburn Walker|E. M. Walker]] and others, most of whom attribute the fragment, which deals with the events of the year 395 BC and is of considerable extent, to [[Cratippus of Athens|Cratippus]].{{sfn|Walker|1911|p=787}}

===History of Philip II===
Theopompus's most significant work, the ''Philippica,'' consisted of fifty-eight books which detailed the reign of Philip II of Macedon. Despite its fragmented state modern scholarship offers insights into its themes and Theopompus's historiographical approach. Unlike many of his peers, Theopompus offered a nuanced portrayal of Philip. He depicts him not merely as a conqueror but as a figure whose reign brought about significant moral and social destruction.<ref name=":1">Conner. p 133-134.</ref> The "''Philippica"'' was more than a historical record. It is moral commentary on the corruption of Philips court. Theopompus criticizes the moral decline which accompanied Philip's expansionist policies. He'd draw parallels between personal vices of individuals and the larger societal corruption.<ref>Connor. p 135-137.

</ref> Also, he detailed accounts of various regions and their political and social conditions. By doing so, he could share his belief in the interconnectedness of moral and political decay in different societies.<ref>Shrimpton. p 137.</ref>

A far more elaborate work was the history of [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip]]'s reign (360–336 BC), with digressions on the names and customs of the various races and countries of which he had occasion to speak, which were so numerous that [[Philip V of Macedon]] reduced the bulk of the history from 58 to 16 books by cutting out those parts which had no connection with [[Macedon|Macedonia]]. It was from this history that [[Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus|Trogus Pompeius]] (of whose ''Historiae Philippicae'' we possess the epitome by [[Junianus Justinus|Justin]]) derived much of his material. Fifty-three books were extant in the time of [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]] (9th century), who read them, and has left us an epitome of the 12th book. Several fragments, chiefly anecdotes and strictures of various kinds upon the character of nations and individuals, are preserved by [[Athenaeus]], [[Plutarch]] and others. Of the ''Letter to Alexander'' we possess one or two fragments cited by Athenaeus, criticizing severely the immorality and dissipations of [[Harpalus]].

The artistic unity of his work suffered severely from the frequent and lengthy digressions, of which the most important was ''On the Athenian Demagogues'' in the 10th book of the ''Philippica'', containing a bitter attack on many of the chief Athenian statesmen, and generally recognized as having been freely used by Plutarch in several of the Lives. The ''{{Visible anchor|Marvels}}'' is a lengthy digression inserted into books 8 and 9.<ref>Walker 1911, pp. 787-788.</ref><ref>[[#CITEREFGeorgiadouLarmour1998|Georgiadou & Larmour 1998]], p. 34: "The combining of history and myth is conveniendy illustrated by what we know of the Marvels (Oavndoia), a digression which Theopompus seems to have inserted into books 8 and 9 of his Philippica."</ref><ref>[[#CITEREFNatoli2004|Natoli 2004]], p. 57: "strange and also demeaning to Theopompus, unlike the well attested Marvels and On the Demagogues,"</ref>

Another fault of Theopompus was his excessive fondness for romantic and incredible stories; a collection of some of these was afterwards made and published under his name. He was also severely blamed in antiquity for his censoriousness, and throughout his fragments no feature is more striking than this. On the whole, however, he appears to have been fairly impartial. Theompopus censures Philip severely for drunkenness and immorality while warmly praising [[Demosthenes]].<ref>Walker 1911, p. 788.</ref>

==Mention by others==
[[Aristotle]] mentions the conception and testimony of Theopompus about the inequity of slavery, in ''Politics''.<ref>''[http://www.filosofia.org/cla/ari/azc03021.htm#kp006 Politics]'', Book I, Chapter II, Spanish Version</ref> Jewish historian [[Flavius Josephus]] writes that [[Demetrius of Phalerum]], in response to [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]] asking why the Jewish Law had not been mentioned by any of his scribes or poets, told that due to the divine nature of the documents, any who endeavored to write about it had been afflicted by a distemper. He continued, saying that Theopompus once endeavored to write about the Jewish Law, but became disturbed in his mind for 30 days, whereupon during some intermission of his distemper he prayed for healing and determined to leave off his attempt to write, and was cured thereby.<ref>Flavius Josephus. ''Antiquities of the Jews'', Book 12, Chapter 2.</ref> A passage from Theopompus is given by Athenaeus in his [[Deipnosophistae]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=Athenaeus|title=Deipnosophistae|pages=Book 15, Chapter 18}}</ref> [[Claudius Aelianus]] quotes both Theopompus and Lycus of Rhegium as sources on the cult practices of the [[Adriatic Veneti]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=Claudius Aelianus|title=De Natura Animalium|pages=17.16}}</ref>

== Modern Scholarship ==
Modern scholarship by historians such as Gordon Shrimpton and W. Robert Connor have re-evaluated Theopompus's contributions to [[historiography]]. Shrimpton emphasizes Theopompus's refined portrayal of Phillip II. He argues that Theopompus's work reflected a sophisticated understanding of the nuances of power and corruption.<ref name=":1" /> Connor highlights Theopompus's disillusionment with the moral state of Greece. This presents him as a critical observer and recorder of society.<ref>Connor. p. 136-137.</ref>

Riccardo Vattoune's analysis further examines Theopompus's innovations in methodology. The chapter explores how Theopompus approached writing of history, specifically his use of sources and his treatment of historical events.<ref name=":2">Parmegianni, Giovanni. ''Between Thucydides and Polybius: The Golden Age of Greek Historiography.''

</ref> One key aspect discussed is Theopompus's interest in "invisible" parts of history such as motivations, emotions, and character traits. These parts of history aren't readily apparent from the historical record alone, but his work preserves that part of history. Additionally, Vattuone dives into Theopompus's use of speeches, anecdotes, and character sketch's to give life to these invisible parts of history.<ref name=":2" /> Overall, the chapter provides insight into Theopompus's innovations in the field of historiography.

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|2}}

===Sources===
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Theopompus|volume=26|pages=787–788|first=Edward Mewburn|last=Walker}}
*{{cite journal|last=Christ|first=M. R.|title=Theopompus and Herodotus: A Reassessment|journal=The Classical Quarterly |series=New Series|volume=43|issue=1|year=1993|pages=47–52|doi=10.1017/s0009838800044165|s2cid=170587615 }}
*{{cite book|last1=Colby|first1=Frank Moore Colby|last2=Williams|first2=Talcott|title=The New International Encyclopædia|volume=9|year=1905}}
*{{cite book|last=Fox|first=Robin Lane|title=Alexander the Great|year=1973|location=London|publisher=Penguin Books}}
*{{Cite book|last1=Georgiadou|first1=Aristoula|last2=Larmour|first2=David Henry James|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/468092394|title=Lucian's science fiction novel, true histories : interpretation and commentary|year=1998|publisher=Brill|isbn=90-04-10667-7|oclc=468092394}}
*{{Cite book|last=Natoli|first=Anthony Francis|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1146496114|title=The letter of Speusippus to Philip II : introduction, text, translation and commentary|publisher=Steiner|year=2004|isbn=3-515-08396-0|oclc=1146496114}}
*Shrimpton, Gordon. “Theopompus’ Treatment of Philip in the ‘Philippica.’” ''Phoenix'', vol. 31, no. 2, 1977, pp. 123–44. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.2307/1087268</nowiki>. Accessed 23 May 2024.
*Connor, Robert. “History without Heroes: Theopompus' Treatment of Philip of Macedon.” ''Wikipedia'', <nowiki>https://grbs.library.duke.edu/index.php/grbs/article/view/11251</nowiki>. Accessed 23 May 2024.

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|last=Bruce|first=I. A. F.|year=1970|title=Theopompus and Classical Greek Historiography|journal=History and Theory|volume=9|issue=1|pages=86–109|doi=10.2307/2504503|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|jstor=2504503}}
*{{cite book|last=Flower|first=Michael Attyah|title=Theopompus of Chios: History and Rhetoric in the Fourth Century BC|year=1994|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press}}
*{{cite book|last=Lund|first=Helen S.|title=Lysimachus: A Study in Early Hellenistic Kingship|year=1992|location=London|publisher=Routledge}}
*{{cite book|last=Shrimpton|first=Gordon S.|title=Theopompus the Historian|year=1992|location=Montreal|publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press}}
*{{cite journal|last=Ottone|first=Gabriella|year=2004|title=Per una nuova edizione dei frammenti di Teopompo di Chio: riflessioni su alcune problematiche teoriche e metodologiche|journal=Ktèma. Civilisations de l'Orient, de la Grèce et de Rome antiques|volume=29|pages=129–143|doi=10.3406/ktema.2004.2535 }}
*{{cite book|last=Ottone|first=Gabriella|title=Teopompo di Chio. Filippiche (Fozio, Biblioteca, cod. 176)|year=2018|location=Tivoli|publisher=Edizioni Tored}}

==External links==
*{{cite web|last=Lendering|first=Jona|title=Theopompus of Chios|website=Livius: Articles on Ancient History|year=2019|orig-year=2004|publisher=Livius.org|url=https://www.livius.org/articles/person/theopompus/}}

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[[Category:Classical-era Greek historians]]
[[Category:Hellenistic-era historians]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek political refugees]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek rhetoricians]]
[[Category:Ancient Chians]]
[[Category:4th-century BC Greek historians]]
[[Category:Courtiers of Philip II of Macedon]]
[[Category:4th-century BC births]]
[[Category:4th-century BC deaths]]