Apollodorus of Athens

Apollodorus was a common name in ancient Greece. This article deals with the historian and mythographer. For other men of the same name, including Apollodorus of Carystus and Apollodorus of Damascus, see Apollodorus (disambiguation).

Apollodorus, sometimes anachronistically called Apollodorus of Athens, (born c. 180 BC) was a prolific and versatile Greek writer most famous for a verse Χρονικα of Greek history from the fall of Troy in the 12th century BC to 144 BC. A pupil of the scholar Aristarchus and of Panaetius the Stoic, he left Alexandria around 146 BC for Pergamum and eventually settled in Athens.

Apollodorus' chronicle gave dates by referring to the archons of Athens. Most archons only held office for one year, allowing scholars to pin down the years to which Apollodorus was referring.

Apollodorus' other works include his essays Περι θεων ("On the Gods") and Περι Νεων, on the Homeric Catalogue of Ships, used as a source by Strabo in his Geography. He also produced numerous critical and grammatical writings. The encyclopaedia of Greek mythology, called Βιβλιοθηκη or library, is not of his authorship but is invariably attributed to him. Modern critics are of opinion that, if genuine, it is an abridgment of his Περι θεων.

Edition, with commentary, by Heyne (1803); text by Wagner (1894) (Mythographi Graeci, vol. i. Teubner series). Amongst other works by him of which only fragments remain, collected in Müller, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum, may be mentioned: Περιηγησις, a gazetteer written in iambics; and a work on etymology (Ετυμολογιαι).

References

• "Greek Chronicles - translation". Greek Chronicles - translation. April 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)