Diogenianus
Encyclopedia
Diogenianus was a Greek
grammar
ian from Heraclea
in Pontus
(or in Caria
) who flourished during the reign of Hadrian
. He was the author of an alphabetical lexicon
, chiefly of poetical words, abridged from the great lexicon of Pamphilus of Alexandria
(AD 50) and other similar works. It was also known by the title (for the use of "industrious poor students"). It formed the basis of the lexicon
, or rather glossary
, of Hesychius of Alexandria
, which is described in the preface as a new edition of the work of Diogenianus. We still possess a collection of proverbs under his name, probably an abridgment of the collection made by himself from his lexicon (ed. by Ernst von Leutsch and Friedrich Wilhelm Schneidewin
in Paroemiographi Graeci, 1. 1839). Diogenianus was also the author of an Anthologion of epigrams about rives, lakes, cliffs, mountains and mountaintops (Επιγραμμάτων ανθολόγιον περί ποταμών λιμνών κρηνών ορών ακρωρειών) (Anthology of epigramse etc); and of a list (with map) of all the towns in the world.
Erasmus attributed the origins of this Latin parable to Diogenianus — piscem natare docem (teach fish how to swim
).
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
ian from Heraclea
Heraclea Pontica
Heraclea Pontica , an ancient city on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Minor, at the mouth of the river Lycus. It was founded by the Greek city-state of Megara c.560-558 and was named after Heracles who the Greeks believed entered the underworld at a cave on the adjoining Archerusian promontory .The...
in Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
(or in Caria
Caria
Caria was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there...
) who flourished during the reign of Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
. He was the author of an alphabetical lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
, chiefly of poetical words, abridged from the great lexicon of Pamphilus of Alexandria
Pamphilus of Alexandria
Pamphilus was a Greek grammarian, of the school of Aristarchus of Samothrace.He was the author of a comprehensive lexicon, in 95 books, of foreign or obscure words, the idea of which was credited to another grammarian, Zopyrion, himself the compiler of the first four books...
(AD 50) and other similar works. It was also known by the title (for the use of "industrious poor students"). It formed the basis of the lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
, or rather glossary
Glossary
A glossary, also known as an idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms...
, of Hesychius of Alexandria
Hesychius of Alexandria
Hesychius of Alexandria , a grammarian who flourished probably in the 5th century CE, compiled the richest lexicon of unusual and obscure Greek words that has survived...
, which is described in the preface as a new edition of the work of Diogenianus. We still possess a collection of proverbs under his name, probably an abridgment of the collection made by himself from his lexicon (ed. by Ernst von Leutsch and Friedrich Wilhelm Schneidewin
Friedrich Wilhelm Schneidewin
Friedrich Wilhelm Schneidewin , was a German classical scholar.-Biography:He was born at Helmstedt. In 1833 he became a teacher at the Brunswick gymnasium...
in Paroemiographi Graeci, 1. 1839). Diogenianus was also the author of an Anthologion of epigrams about rives, lakes, cliffs, mountains and mountaintops (Επιγραμμάτων ανθολόγιον περί ποταμών λιμνών κρηνών ορών ακρωρειών) (Anthology of epigramse etc); and of a list (with map) of all the towns in the world.
Erasmus attributed the origins of this Latin parable to Diogenianus — piscem natare docem (teach fish how to swim
Teach fish how to swim
Teach fish how to swim is an idiomatic expression dervied from the Latin proverb piscem natare docem. The phrase focuses attention on the self-sufficient perception of those who know how to do every thing better than the experts....
).