Castor of Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Castor of Rhodes was a Greek
grammarian and rhetorician, surnamed Philoromaeus, and is usually believed to have lived about the time of Cicero
and Julius Caesar
.
is indicated by his surname; but in what manner he shewed this partiality is unknown, though it may have been in a work mentioned by Plutarch
, in which he compared the institutions of the Romans with those of Pythagoras
. Suidas describes the grammarian and rhetorician Castor as a son-in-law of the Galatian
king Deiotarus
(whom, however, he calls a Roman senator), who notwithstanding afterwards put to death both Castor and his wife because Castor had brought charges against him before Caesar, evidently alluding to the affair in which Cicero defended Deiotarus. The Castor whom Suidas thus makes a relative of Deiotarus, appears to be the same as the Castor mentioned by Strabo who was surnamed Saocondarius, was a son-in-law of Deiotarus, and was put to death by him. But it is, to say the least, extremely doubtful whether the rhetorician had any connection with the family of Deiotarus at all. The Castor who brought Deiotarus into peril is expressly called a grandson of that king, and was yet a young man at the time (44 BC) when Cicero spoke for Deiotarus. Now we have seen above that one of the works of Castor is referred to in the Bibliotheca of Apollodorus, who died sometime around 140 BC. The conclusion, therefore, must be that the rhetorician Castor must have lived at or before the time of Apollodorus, at the latest, about 150 BC, and can have had no connection with the Deiotarus for whom Cicero spoke.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
grammarian and rhetorician, surnamed Philoromaeus, and is usually believed to have lived about the time of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
and Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
.
Background
He is frequently referred to as an authority in historical matters, though no historical work is specified, so that those references may allude to any of the above-mentioned works. His partiality to the RomansAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
is indicated by his surname; but in what manner he shewed this partiality is unknown, though it may have been in a work mentioned by Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, in which he compared the institutions of the Romans with those of Pythagoras
Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician, and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. Most of the information about Pythagoras was written down centuries after he lived, so very little reliable information is known about him...
. Suidas describes the grammarian and rhetorician Castor as a son-in-law of the Galatian
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
king Deiotarus
Deiotarus
Deiotarus of Galatia was a Chief Tetrarch of the Tolistobogii at Western Galatia, Asia Minor, and a King of Galatia at Anatolia, Asia Minor. He was considered one of the most adept of Celtic kings, ruling the three tribes of Celtic Galatia from his fortress in Blucium...
(whom, however, he calls a Roman senator), who notwithstanding afterwards put to death both Castor and his wife because Castor had brought charges against him before Caesar, evidently alluding to the affair in which Cicero defended Deiotarus. The Castor whom Suidas thus makes a relative of Deiotarus, appears to be the same as the Castor mentioned by Strabo who was surnamed Saocondarius, was a son-in-law of Deiotarus, and was put to death by him. But it is, to say the least, extremely doubtful whether the rhetorician had any connection with the family of Deiotarus at all. The Castor who brought Deiotarus into peril is expressly called a grandson of that king, and was yet a young man at the time (44 BC) when Cicero spoke for Deiotarus. Now we have seen above that one of the works of Castor is referred to in the Bibliotheca of Apollodorus, who died sometime around 140 BC. The conclusion, therefore, must be that the rhetorician Castor must have lived at or before the time of Apollodorus, at the latest, about 150 BC, and can have had no connection with the Deiotarus for whom Cicero spoke.
Works
According to Suidas, Castor composed the following works:- Anagraphe ton thalassokratesanton ("Record of ThalassocrasiesThalassocracyThe term thalassocracy refers to a state with primarily maritime realms—an empire at sea, such as Athens or the Phoenician network of merchant cities...
") in two books. - Chronika Agnoemata ("Chronological Errors") which is also referred to by ApollodorusApollodorusApollodorus of Athens son of Asclepiades, was a Greek scholar and grammarian. He was a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon, Panaetius the Stoic, and the grammarian Aristarchus of Samothrace...
. - Peri epicheirematon ("On Arguments or Adventures"), in nine books.
- Peri peithous, ("On Persuasion"), in two books.
- Peri tou Neilou ("On the Nile").
- Techne rhetorike ("Rhetorical Art")
- Chronologia or Chronika, which is referred to several times by Eusebius of CesareaChronicon (Eusebius)The Chronicon or Chronicle was a work in two books by Eusebius of Caesarea. It seems to have been compiled in the early 4th century. It contained a world chronicle from Abraham until the vicennalia of Constantine I in 325 AD...
.