Olympiodorus of Thebes
Encyclopedia
Olympiodorus was an historical writer of classical education, a "poet by profession" as he says of himself, who was born at Thebes in Egypt, and was sent on a mission to the Huns
on the Black Sea
by Emperor Honorius about 412, and later lived at the court of Theodosius II
, to whom his History was dedicated. The record of his diplomatic mission survives in a fragment among the forty-six in the epitome
by the patriarch Photius, who considered Olympiodorus a "pagan", doubtless for his classical education:
He was the author of a history in twenty-two books of the Western Empire
from 407 to 425, which was used by Zosimus
and Sozomen
and probably Philostorgius
, as J.F. Matthews has demonstrated. The original is lost, but an abstract is given by Photius, who also tells us Olympiodorus referred to himself as poietes, which means 'poet', though in the past this has also been taken as an indication that he may have been an alchemist
.
From fragments of his History, it can be inferred that he spent a sojourn in Athens, traveled to the remote parts of Upper Egypt
among the barbarian Blemmyes
, and that he visited Rome towards the end of his career.
Greek text with English translation in R.C. Blockley, The fragmentary classicising historians of the later Roman empire. Eunapius, Olympiodorus, Priscus and Malchus. 2 vols. Liverpool: Francis Cairns, 1981.
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
by Emperor Honorius about 412, and later lived at the court of Theodosius II
Theodosius II
Theodosius II , commonly surnamed Theodosius the Younger, or Theodosius the Calligrapher, was Byzantine Emperor from 408 to 450. He is mostly known for promulgating the Theodosian law code, and for the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople...
, to whom his History was dedicated. The record of his diplomatic mission survives in a fragment among the forty-six in the epitome
Epitome
An epitome is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment....
by the patriarch Photius, who considered Olympiodorus a "pagan", doubtless for his classical education:
- Donatus and the Huns, and the skillfulness of their kings in shooting with the bow. The author relates that he himself was sent on a mission to them and Donatus, and gives a tragic account of his wanderings and perils by the sea. How Donatus, being deceived by an oath, was unlawfully put to death. How CharatonCharatonCharaton , also known as Aksungur or Aksuvar, was said to be the first of the kings of the Huns from c. 410–422. It is believed that Charaton ruled mostly the eastern part of the Hunnic Empire....
, the first of the kings, being incensed by the murder, was appeased by presents from the emperor. - — from Photius' Bibliotheca, tr. J. H. Freese
He was the author of a history in twenty-two books of the Western Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
from 407 to 425, which was used by Zosimus
Zosimus
Zosimus was a Byzantine historian, who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I . According to Photius, he was a comes, and held the office of "advocate" of the imperial treasury.- Historia Nova :...
and Sozomen
Sozomen
Salminius Hermias Sozomenus was a historian of the Christian church.-Family and Home:He was born around 400 in Bethelia, a small town near Gaza, into a wealthy Christian family of Palestine....
and probably Philostorgius
Philostorgius
Philostorgius was an Anomoean Church historian of the 4th and 5th centuries. Anomoeanism questioned the Trinitarian account of the relationship between God the Father and Christ and was considered a heresy by the Orthodox Church, which adopted the term "homoousia" in the Nicene Creed. Very little...
, as J.F. Matthews has demonstrated. The original is lost, but an abstract is given by Photius, who also tells us Olympiodorus referred to himself as poietes, which means 'poet', though in the past this has also been taken as an indication that he may have been an alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
.
From fragments of his History, it can be inferred that he spent a sojourn in Athens, traveled to the remote parts of Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
among the barbarian Blemmyes
Blemmyes
The Blemmyes were a nomadic Nubian tribe described in Roman histories of the later empire. From the late third century on, along with another tribe, the Nobadae, they repeatedly fought the Romans...
, and that he visited Rome towards the end of his career.
Greek text with English translation in R.C. Blockley, The fragmentary classicising historians of the later Roman empire. Eunapius, Olympiodorus, Priscus and Malchus. 2 vols. Liverpool: Francis Cairns, 1981.
Further reading
- Baldini, Antonio, Ricerche di tarda storiografia (da Olimpiodoro di Tebe). Bologna: Pàtron, 2004.
- Baldwin B., "Olympiodorus of Thebes," L'Antiquite Classique 49 (1980): 212–231.
- Gillett, Andrew, "The date and circumstances of Olympiodorus of Thebes," Traditio 48 (1993): 1–29.
- Paschoud, François, Eunape, Olympiodore, Zosime (collected articles). Bari: Edipuglia, 2006.
- Rohrbacher, David, The Historians of Late Antiquity. London: Routledge, 2002.
- Thompson, E.A., "Olympiodorus of Thebes" Classical Quarterly 38 (1944): 43–52.