Philostephanus

:"Philostephanus" is also a genus of plant bugs among the Miridae".

Philostephanus of Cyrene (Philostephanus Cyrenaeus [He is referred to once, mistakenly, by Aulus Gellius, as "Polystephanus". (FHG); Aulus Gellius found an old manuscript of "Polystephanus" at Brundisium (Leofranc Holford-Strevens, "Aulus Gellius: An Antonine Scholar and His Achievement" (Oxford University Press) 2003:70.] ) was a Hellenistic writer from North Africa, who was a pupil of the poet Callimachus in Alexandria and doubtless worked there during the 3rd century BC.

His history of Cyprus, "De Cypro", written during the reign of Ptolemy Philopator (222–206 BC), has been lost, but it was known to at least two Christian writers, Clement of Alexandria [Clement, "Protrepticus", vi.22).] and Arnobius. [Arnobius, chs. 17, 32.] It contained a narration of the story of the mythical king Pygmalion, of Cyprus, who fashioned a cult image of the Greek goddess Aphrodite that came to life. Ovid depended on the account by Philostraphanus for his dramatised and expanded version in "Metamorphoses", through which the Pygmalion myth [The name "Galatea" was not applied to his statue until the eighteenth century: see Galatea.] was transmitted to the medieval and modern world. [Constance Jordan, "Montaigne's Pygmalion: The Living Work of Art in 'De l'affection des pere aux enfans'", "Sixteenth Century Journal". 9,4 (Winter 1978:5-12) p. 5 note 2.] .

The remarks on Cyprus seem to have come from a larger work, "On Islands". Scattered brief quotes of Philostephanus on islands refer also to Sicily, [Philostephanus, frs. 16, 17.] Calauria off the coast of Troezen [fr. 18.] and Stryme, off the Thracian coast. [fr. 19; Mogens Herman Hansen and Thomas Heine Nielsen, eds. "An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis" (Oxford University Press) 2004:880, no. 650] Pliny's Natural History adduces Philostephanus as a source for the assertion Jason was the first that went out to sea in a long vessel. ["N.H.", vii.57: "Longa nave Jasonem primum navigasse, Philostephanus Auctor est"]

Other works of Philostephanus cited in passages from other authors were works "Of the Cities of Asia", "On Cyllene", "Epirotica" ("On Epirus"), "On Remarkable Rivers" [frs. 20-25. "Deipnosophistae" reports glancingly Philostephanus' remarks on fishes, which may belong here: "Clearchus says this also more plainly than Philostephanus the Cyrenaean, whom I have previously mentioned: 'There are some fish which, though they have no throats, can utter a sound.'" ( [http://www.attalus.org/old/athenaeus8.html On-line text] ). ] "On Inventions", and various commentaries.

The fragments of Philostephanus, surviving in quotes from other authors, were published in "Fragmenta historicorum graecorum" [Karl Otfried Müller et al. "Fragmenta historicorum graecorum" (FHG)]

Another Philostephanus was a comic poet, of whom little is known. [Kassel, R. and C. Austin,"Poetae Comici Graeci", (Berlín-New York) 1983-2000,]

Notes

References

*Karl Otfried Müller et al. "Fragmenta historicorum graecorum" ("FHG") 1849, vol iii. pp 28-34