Ephippus of Olynthus
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For other uses, see Ephippus
Ephippus (Ephippos) of Olynthus
was an Ancient Greek
historian
of Alexander the Great.
It is commonly believed, though no reason is assigned, that Ephippus lived about or shortly after the time of Alexander. There is however a passage in Arrian
which would determine the age of Ephippus very accurately, if it could be proved that the Ephippus there mentioned is identical with the historian. Arrian says, that Alexander before leaving Egypt appointed Aeschylus of Rhodes
and Ephippus ton Chalkideôs, superintendents (episkopoi) of the administration of Egypt. The reading ton Chalkideôs, though adopted by the recent editors of Arrian, is not in all MSS., and some editions read Chalkidona or Chalkêdona; but if we might amend Chalkideaa, we should have reason for supposing that the person mentioned by Arrian is the same as Ephippus of Olynthus, for Olynthus was the principal town in Chalcidice
, and Ephippus might just as well be called a native of Olynthus as of Chalcidice.
If the Ephippus then in Arrian be the same as the historian, he was a contemporary of Alexander and survived him for some time, for he wrote an account of the king's burial. The work of Ephippus is distinctly referred to by Athenaeus
only, though Diodorus and others also seem to have made use of it. Athenaeus calls it in some passages peri tês Alexandron kai Hêphaistiônos metallagês, and in others he has taphês or teleutês instead of metallagês, so that at all events we must conclude that it contained an account of the burial of Alexander as well as of his death.
From the few fragments still extant, it would appear that Ephippus described more the private and personal character of his heroes than their public careers. It should be remarked that by a singular mistake Suidas in his article Ephippus gives an account of Ephorus of Cumae.
Pliny
mentions one Ephippus among the authorities he consulted upon plants, and it is generally believed that he is a different person from our historian; but all the writers whom Pliny mentions along with him, belong to the period of Alexander, so that it is by no means improbable that he may be Ephippus of Olynthus. All that is known about Ephippus and the fragments of his work, is collected by R. Geier, in his Alexandri Magni Histor. Scriptores, actate suppares.
Ephippus
Ephippus or Ephippos may refer to:* Ephippus of Olynthus, Ancient Greek historian of Alexander the Great* Ephippus of Athens, Ancient Greek comic poet...
Ephippus (Ephippos) of Olynthus
Olynthus
Olynthus was an ancient city of Chalcidice, built mostly on two flat-topped hills 30–40m in height, in a fertile plain at the head of the Gulf of Torone, near the neck of the peninsula of Pallene, about 2.5 kilometers from the sea, and about 60 stadia Olynthus was an ancient city of...
was an Ancient Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of Alexander the Great.
It is commonly believed, though no reason is assigned, that Ephippus lived about or shortly after the time of Alexander. There is however a passage in Arrian
Arrian
Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon , known in English as Arrian , and Arrian of Nicomedia, was a Roman historian, public servant, a military commander and a philosopher of the 2nd-century Roman period...
which would determine the age of Ephippus very accurately, if it could be proved that the Ephippus there mentioned is identical with the historian. Arrian says, that Alexander before leaving Egypt appointed Aeschylus of Rhodes
Aeschylus of Rhodes
Aeschylus of Rhodes was appointed by Alexander the Great one of the inspectors of the governors of that country after its conquest in 332 BC. He is not spoken of again until 319 BC, when he is mentioned as conveying in four ships six hundred talents of silver from Cilicia to Macedonia, which were...
and Ephippus ton Chalkideôs, superintendents (episkopoi) of the administration of Egypt. The reading ton Chalkideôs, though adopted by the recent editors of Arrian, is not in all MSS., and some editions read Chalkidona or Chalkêdona; but if we might amend Chalkideaa, we should have reason for supposing that the person mentioned by Arrian is the same as Ephippus of Olynthus, for Olynthus was the principal town in Chalcidice
Chalcidice
Chalkidiki, also Halkidiki, Chalcidice or Chalkidike , is a peninsula in northern Greece, and one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Macedonia. The autonomous Mount Athos region is part of the peninsula, but not of the regional unit...
, and Ephippus might just as well be called a native of Olynthus as of Chalcidice.
If the Ephippus then in Arrian be the same as the historian, he was a contemporary of Alexander and survived him for some time, for he wrote an account of the king's burial. The work of Ephippus is distinctly referred to by Athenaeus
Athenaeus
Athenaeus , of Naucratis in Egypt, Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourished about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century AD...
only, though Diodorus and others also seem to have made use of it. Athenaeus calls it in some passages peri tês Alexandron kai Hêphaistiônos metallagês, and in others he has taphês or teleutês instead of metallagês, so that at all events we must conclude that it contained an account of the burial of Alexander as well as of his death.
From the few fragments still extant, it would appear that Ephippus described more the private and personal character of his heroes than their public careers. It should be remarked that by a singular mistake Suidas in his article Ephippus gives an account of Ephorus of Cumae.
Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
mentions one Ephippus among the authorities he consulted upon plants, and it is generally believed that he is a different person from our historian; but all the writers whom Pliny mentions along with him, belong to the period of Alexander, so that it is by no means improbable that he may be Ephippus of Olynthus. All that is known about Ephippus and the fragments of his work, is collected by R. Geier, in his Alexandri Magni Histor. Scriptores, actate suppares.