Christodorus

Christodorus(Greek:Χριστόδωρος), aGreekepic poetfromCoptosinEgypt,flourished during the reign ofAnastasius I(491–518). His father was named Paniskos (Πανίσκος).

According toSuidas,he was the author ofPatria(Gr. Πάτρια), accounts of the foundation, history and antiquities of various cities;Lydiaka(Gr. Λυδιακά), the mythical history ofLydia;Isaurica(Gr. Ἰσαυρικά), celebrating Anastasius' victory in theIsaurian War(492–497); three books ofepigrams;and many other works.

In addition to two epigrams (Anthol. Pal.vii. 697, 698) we possess a description of eighty statues of gods, heroes and famous men and women in thegymnasium of ZeuxippusatConstantinople(Ἔκφρασις τῶν ἀγαλμάτων τῶν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον γυμνάσιον τὸ ἐπικαλουμένον τοῦ Ζευξίππου). This text, consisting of 416hexameters,forms the second book of thePalatine Anthology.

The writer's chief models areHomerandNonnus,whom he follows closely in the structure of his hexameters. Opinions are divided as to the merits of the work. Some critics regard it as of great importance for the history of art and a model of description; others consider it valueless, alike from the historical, mythological and archaeological points of view.

See Friedrich Baumgarten,De Christodoro Poeta Thebano,Bonn (1881), and his article in Pauly-Wissowa'sRealencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft,III (1897) 2450–2452;Wilhelm von Christ,Geschichte der griechischen Litteratur(1898); Francesco Tissoni,Cristodoro. Un’introduzione e un commento,Alessandria (2000).

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Christodorus".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 295.
• William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Vol. 1, page 698