Callisthenes
Callisthenes of Olynthus (c. 360 – c. 327 BC) was a Greek historian in Macedon with connections to both Aristotle and Alexander the Great. He accompanied Alexander during his Asiatic expedition and served as his historian and publicist. He later opposed Alexander’s adoption of Persian culture and was arrested after being implicated in a plot on the king's life; he died in prison. During his life, he authored several works on Greek history and a biography of Alexander.
Quotes
[edit]- Not even to Heracles himself while still alive were divine honours paid by the Greeks; and even after his death they were withheld until a decree had been published by the oracle of the god at Delphi that men should honour Heracles as a god. But if, because the discussion is held in the land of foreigners, we ought to adopt the sentiments of foreigners, I demand, O Alexander, that thou shouldst bethink thyself of Greece, for whose sake the whole of this expedition was undertaken by thee, that thou mightest join Asia to Greece. Therefore make up thy mind whether thou wilt return thither and compel the Greeks, who are men most devoted to freedom, to pay thee the honour of prostration, or whether thou wilt keep aloof from Greece, and inflict this honour on the Macedonians alone, or thirdly whether thou wilt thyself make a difference in every respect as to the honours to be paid thee, so as to be honoured by the Greeks and Macedonians as a human being and after the manner of the Greeks, and by foreigners alone after the foreign fashion of prostration.
- Quoted in Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander, bk. 4, sec. 11 (tr. E. J. Chinnock, 1884)
Pseudo-Callisthenes
[edit]- μὴ καταγνῷς δὲ τοῦ χρώματος ἡμῶν· ἐσμὲν γὰρ λευκότεροι καὶ λαμπρότεροι ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν παρὰ σοῦ λευκοτάτων.
- Do not despise us for the colour of our skin. In our souls we are brighter than the whitest of your people.
- β-recension, bk. 3, sec. 18 (tr. Richard Stoneman, 1991); Candace of Meroe
- Since the women were extraordinary in appearance, the men, who were completely overcome with their fond feeling (for them), the women treated violently or killed during sexual pleasure. We captured only two of these. Their complexion was snow-white, (and) like nymphs their hair spread over their backs.
- W. Boer, Epistola Alexandri ad Aristotelem (Meisenheim am Glan, 1973), p. 57; translation: L. Gunderson, Alexander’s Letter to Aristotle about India (Meisenheim am Glan, 1980), p. 156. Dated by Gunderson to between 308 and 296 BC (p. 119)
External links
[edit]
Encyclopedic article on Callisthenes on Wikipedia
