Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/579

Rh PTOLEMAEUS. her own children, but we hear nothing more of him. (Dion Cass. li. 15 ; Phit. Ant 87.) [E. H. B.] PTOLEMAEUS {UToefxa7o5 literary. The celebrated astronomer and geographer of this name is spoken of below under Ptolemakus, Claudius. 1. Historians. 1. Of Megalopolis, the son of Agesarchus, wrote a history of king Ptolemy IV. Philopator, which is quoted by Athenaeus (vi. p. 246, c, X. p. 425, e., xiii. p. 577, f.), Clemens Alexandrinus {Protrep. p. 1 3), and Arnobius (vi. 4). From these passages it is clear that the his- torian lived at the court of Ptolemy, who reigned from B. c. 222 to b. c. 204. (Vossius, de Hist. Grace, p. 157, ed. Westermann ; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. v. p. 295). Schweighauser supposes that the Ptolemy, who was governor of Cyprus during the regency of Ptolemy Philometor, is the same as Ptolemy of Megalopolis (Polyb. xxvii. 12) ; but the governor of Cyprus was a different person. [See above, No. 19.] . 2. An Egyptian priest, of Mendes, who wrote on the ancient history of Egypt [tol AiyvirTiuv dveKa- Qtv i(TTopwv, Syncell, p. 64). He related the acts of the Egyptian kings in three books, as we learn from. Clemens Alexandrinus (Strom, i. p. 138), who immediately before quotes from Ptolemy fV ru7s xpovois, by which it appears doubtful whether we are to understand another distinct work, or a set of chronological tables connected with his great work on Egyptian history. Tatian also {adv. Graec. 59) mentions him as a distinguished chro- nologer, and presently afterwards refers to his XP^voi. A scholiast on Homer also quotes from Ptolemy, ev r^ irpwrtf XP^^V {Schol. Buttm. in Od. iv. 228). He is also referred to by Justin {Ex- hort, ad Graec. p. 10), Eusebius {Praep. Evaiig. x. 12), Tertullian {Apol. 19), and Cyril (c. Julian. i. p. 15). He probably lived under the first Roman empe- rors ; for, since his work on Egypt was quoted by Apion (Clem. Alex. /. c), it could not have been written later than the time of Tiberius ; and, on the otiier hand, the absence of any allusion to it in Strabo, or any earlier writer, affords some presump- tion that it could not have been written earlier than the time of Augustus. This conclusion would be- come certain, if we were to adopt the opinion of Meursius and Vossius, that this Ptolemy was the author of a work upon King Herod, which is quoted by Ammonius {de Verb. Diff. s. v. 'iSovfxaloi) ; but it is at least as probable that the author there cited is Ptolemy of Ascalon, of whose authority Ammo- nius makes use in other articles. (Vossius, de Hist. Grace, pp. 225, 226, ed. Westermann; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. v. p. 296.) II. Philosophers and Sophists. 3, 4. Of Alexandria, two disciples of Epicurus, of whom the only further information we possess is, that they were distinguished as 6 ij.4as and d Aevuos (Diog. Laert. x. 25). 5. Of Cyrene, a sceptic, was the disciple of Eubulus, the disciple of Euphranor, the disciple of Timon. Diogenes tells us, that Timon had no suc- cessor until his school was restored by Ptolemy (ix. 115, 116). 6. Of Naucratis, a sophist, sumamed Marathon, was a hearer of Herodes Atticus, but an imitator of Polemon ; and an opponent of Heracleides Lycius. The particulars of his life, which are not of sufficient importance to be mentioned here, may be read in Philostratus. ( Vit. Sophist, ii. pp. 591," &c. 603;. PTOLEMAEUS. 567 7. A sophist and Peripatetic philosopher, of the beginning of the third century of our era, whom Longinus mentions that he had seen in his youth. We also learn from Longinus that Ptolemy left no writings except poems and declamations. {Praef. ad Lib. Trepl reKovs, ap. Porphyr. Vit. Plotin. p. 127 ; comp. Harless, ad Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol.iii. p. 504, n. rr.) 8. A Platonic philosopher, of whom nothing is known, except that he lived before Proclus, who quotes him in his work on the Timaeus of Plato (i. p. 7, b). III. Grammarians. 9. Of Alexandria, sur- naraed Pindarion, was the son of Oroandrus, and the disciple of Aristarchus (Suid. s. v.). Suidas mentions the following as his works : — 'Ojx-qpiKwv viroSeLyixdruv fii€la y, Trepl tov 'O/xiqpiKoO X'^po-K-- TTJpos, irpos NeodaXiSrjv Trepl Ke^eoos, Trepl tov Trap 'Ofxripcp OuTiSos, Trepl ^Aarepoiraiov tov nap' 'Ofju'ipf^ fxvqtxovevopLtvov., and others. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. i. p. 520, voLvi. p. 378). 10. Another disciple of Aristarchus, on account of his close adherence to whom he was called 'ETrt- QeTos or 'ETrf06TTjy. He was also a hearer of the grammarian Hellanicus. He wrote upon the Wounds mentioned by Homer (Trepl twj/ Trop* 'Ojjiripcf irArfycSu), and a Commentary on the Odys- sey (Suid. s. V. ; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. U. cc). 11. The father of the grammarian Aristonicus, was himself also a grammarian. Both father and son were distinguished as teachers at Rome. The following were his works: — tcl 6 fiolus tlprf^i^va Tots TpayiKu7s, els "O/xvpov fii§ia v tA Trapd t^J iroirfrij ^evcos laTopriixiva, rd Trepl Moucrwv KoX N-qprjiSwv (Suid. s. v. ; Fabric. 11. cc.). 12. Of Ascalon, taught at Rome. His works were, -rrpoacf/Sia 'O/UTjpi/cTj, Trepl 'EWriVKTHOv -/JToi opdoeirias )8i§Ata ie', Trepl /xerpcw/, Trepl T-fjs iv ^OSva-areia, ' ApiaTapxov 5«op6«£rea>s, Trepl Siacpopds Ae'lewi/, and other grammatical works. The most important of these works was that Trepl 5ia(p9pds Ae^ecoj', which formed the foundation of the similar work of Ammonius. It is still extant, and it is printed in the Bibliotheca Graeca of Fabricius (vol. vi. pp. 156 — 163, comp. vol. i. p. 52). 13. Of Alexandria, sumamed Chennus, flou- rished under Trajan and Hadrian. His works were, Trepl TrapaSS^ou laTopias ; an historical drama, entitled ^<piy^ ; an epic poem, in twenty-four rhapsodies, entitled 'Avdofirjpos, and some others. (Suid. s. V.) We still possess in the Bibliotheca of Photius (Cod. 190) an epitome of the work of Ptolemy, Trepl tt/s ds iroKviiaQiav Kaivris liTTopias^ in seven books, which there can be little doubt is the same work as that which Suidas mentions by the title Trepl Trapa5o|ou laTopias. Photius commends the work as containing in a small space inform- ation which a whole life might be spent in collect- ing from other books ; but he adds, that it contains many things which are marvellous and absurd, and badly put together. It is in fact a farrago of the most heterogeneous materials. It is addressed to a certain learned lady named Tertulla. Suidas and Photius speak of Ptolemy as 6 'H(pai<TTl{t)vos, which is naturally interpreted the son of Hephaestion ; but there is some doubt whe- ther it ought not rather to be understood as mean- ing the father or ieacfier of Hephaestion (see lon- sius, de Script. Hist. Philos. i. 2. § 5, and Villoison, Proleg. ad Apollon. Lex. Horn. p. iv.). Tretzes calls him Ptolemy Hephaestion. o 4