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Video: Philochorus - a soothsayer and scientist-historian of Ancient Greece, executed in old age by the Macedonian king
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Ancient culture, primarily the heritage of Ancient Greece, is a phenomenon so large-scale that it is difficult to imagine how history would have developed if information about those times had been lost. The influence of Hellas on humanity is the result, among other things, of the activities of philosophers, historians, scientists of antiquity, who reflected in their writings the events taking place, while not fencing off life with manuscripts - like a priest, politician and historian Philochorus from Athens.
Philochorus - resident of Attica
Filochor left much more information about his homeland than about himself - the biography of this great scientist of antiquity has been little studied. Much greater interest and contemporaries, and later researchers were aroused by the works of Philochorus, concerning the dating and description of periods and events of ancient Greek history.
It is known that he was born around 345 BC. in the Kikna family from Athens. Since Philochorus is known, among other things, as a priest-diviner, there is reason to assume that his father also owned the same craft - divination in Athens was an art, the secrets of which were passed down within one family from generation to generation. The main task of the priest-diviner was divination by the insides of sacrificial animals, it was especially important to obtain such information before serious battles. It should be mentioned that Philochorus lived during the period of strife that unfolded after the death of Alexander the Great between his former allies, which means that this kind of activity could not but be in demand. One of the positions of Philochorus was called "exegete", that is, the interpreter of sacred customs.
The main hobby of Philochorus throughout his life remained the study of his native polis and the whole of Attica - the historical region of Ancient Greece, the political and cultural center of which was Athens. Since this city had a special significance in the life of Hellas, the past and present of Attica seemed to many ancient historians to be a very interesting subject for study and glorification. Attidographers appeared - those who recorded the history of this area, lying near the coast of the Aegean Sea. During the existence of ancient Greek literature, several works appeared under the name "Attida", that is, records of Attic history and mythology, but the work of Philochorus is considered the main one in terms of volume and meaning.
Attida
His "Attida" was a collection of seventeen books, and the first two volumes contained the "mythical" period in the history of Attica, detailed descriptions of legends and rituals. There is a mention of the myth about the Minotaur, who was defeated by Theseus with the help of the thread of Ariadne.
According to Philochorus's version, set forth in the second volume of Attida, the Minotaur's Labyrinth was an ordinary prison where prisoners were placed, and King Minos organized gymnastic competitions in memory of his son Androgea, giving the winner teenage prisoners as a reward. The first competition was won by the warlord Taurus, who is described as an inhuman and cruel tyrant. He was subsequently defeated by Theseus, who freed the captives.
In his writings, Philochorus drew on the writings of other ancient Greek historians - his predecessors, in particular Herodotus, Sophocles, Thucydides, Ephorus - while maintaining his own view of the history and mythology of Attica and Hellas in general. The main work of Philochorus is presented in chronological order - starting with the earliest periods. Four volumes of "Attida" constituted the history of the homeland of Philochorus before his birth, and the next eleven volumes were written after a considerable period of time and dealt with contemporary events for the historian.
Information from Philochorus's books form the basis for researching the culture of Ancient Greece, among his merits - the chronology of the events of the past of Hellas. It should be noted that Philochor described what happened in his homeland hundreds and thousands of years before his birth, which means that obtaining such information required serious research from the historian, or, in any case, a conscientious and accurate approach to descriptions. In particular, he writes that one hundred and eighty years passed from the time of the capture of Troy to the birth of Homer, and thanks to this it was established that the poet lived in the 9th-8th centuries. BC.
Until now, only fragments of Philochorus' works have survived - those that were copied by his followers and used in their own writings. Some quotes from "Attida" are contained in the study of the German scientist Felix Jacobi, who worked on the works of Philochorus from 1933 to 1959. In addition to "Attida", the scientist wrote a number of books - about fortune telling, about holidays, about victims, about tragedies. Most of them have not survived, but they were actively used and cited by the followers of Philochorus - primarily the historian Plutarch.
Philochorus and the fight against the Macedonian king
As a patriot of Attica, Philochorus actively reacted to the fate of his homeland, which for a considerable time was under the rule of the Macedonians. After the death of the great Alexander, among his diadochi - generals - a struggle unfolded for various parts of the empire.
Philochorus, right up to his very old age, waged a political struggle with Demetrius I Poliorketes, and then with his son Antigonus Gonatus, who, having become king, executed the scientist. Details have not survived to this day, it is only known that Philochorus at that time was already over eighty.
Among the chroniclers of ancient Greek history, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch are traditionally mentioned - the name of Philochorus is not so well known, but for the study of antiquity his works are invaluable. In any case, they provide additional material for research and reflection, as, for example, when studying legends of Knossos.
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