Polemon of Athens
{{Short description|Ancient scholar and topographic commentator}}
Polemon of Athens ({{langx|grc|Πολέμων ὁ Ἀθηναῖος}}, fl. 2nd century BC) was an ancient Greek Stoic philosopher and geographer. Of Athenian citizenship, he was most widely known as Polemon of Athens,{{cn|date=June 2022}} but he was born either in Ilium, Samos, or Sicyon, and was also known as Polemon of Ilium and Polemon Periegetes. He traveled throughout Greece and wrote about the places he visited. He also compiled a collection of the epigrams he saw on the monuments and votive offerings. None of these works survive, but many later writers quote from them.
Life
Polemon was the son of Euegetes, and he was a contemporary of Aristophanes of Byzantium and Ptolemy Epiphanes.Suda, Polemon, Athenaeus, vi. 234 He was a follower of the Stoic philosopher Panaetius. He made extensive journeys throughout Greece to collect materials for his geographical works, in the course of which he paid particular attention to the inscriptions on votive offerings and on columns, whence he obtained the surname of Stelokopas.Athenaeus, vi. 234
Works
In his travels, Polemon collected the epigrams he found into a work On the inscriptions to be found in cities ({{langx|el|Περὶ τω̂ν κατὰ πόλεις ἐπιγραμμάτων}}).Athenaeus, x. 436d, 442e In addition, other works of his are mentioned, upon the votive offerings and monuments in the Acropolis of Athens, at Lacedaemon, at Delphi, and elsewhere, which no doubt contained copies of numerous epigrams. His works may have been a chief source of the Garland of Meleager. Athenaeus, Sextus Julius Africanus{{cite book|last1=Grotius|first1=Hugo|author2=John Clarke (Dean of Salisbury.)|title=The Truth of the Christian Religion ... Corrected and illustrated with notes by Mr. Le Clerc. To which is added, a seventh book, concerning this question, What Christian church we ought to join ourselves to? By the said Mr. Le Clerc. The ninth edition, with additions. Particularly one whole book of Mr. Le Clerc's against indifference of what religion a man is of. Done into English by John Clarke|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lgheAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA64|year=1809|page=64|quote=Polemon, &c.
Sir James Frazer considered him the most learned of all Greek antiquaries. "His acquaintance both with the monuments and with the literature seems to have been extensive and profound. The attention which he bestowed on inscriptions earned for him the nickname of the 'monument-tapper.'"{{cite book|last=Frazer|first=James|title=Studies in Greek Scenery, Legend and History|url=https://archive.org/details/studiesingreeksc00frazuoft|editor=Macmillan and Company, Ltd.|location=London|year=1917|pages=[https://archive.org/details/studiesingreeksc00frazuoft/page/134 134]–135}}
- The fragments of Polemon have been published by Preller in the work entitled Polemonis Periegetae Fragmenta, collegit, digessit, notis auxit L. Preller, Lips., 1838.{{cite book|author=Polemon Periegetes|authorlink=Polemon of Athens|title=Polemonis Periegetae Fragmenta collegit: digessit, notis auxit L. Preller|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OL4UAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR1|year=1838|publisher=sumtibus Guilielmi Engelmanni|page=1|quote=[https://books.google.com/books?id=OL4UAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR1&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3iZrQmM0f5hF1KXdQO8CnxOCbUEg&ci=34%2C196%2C864%2C1366&edge=0 p. 1] at Google Books}}
References
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Sources
- David Engels: Polemon von Ilion. Antiquarische Periegese und hellenistische Identitätssuche, in: K. Freitag/Chr. Michels (eds.), Athen und / oder Alexandreia? Aspekte von Identität und Ethnizität im hellenistischen Griechenland, Köln / Weimar / Wien 2014, p. 65–98.
- {{SmithDGRBM}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2nd-century BC Athenians
Category:Ancient Athenian philosophers
Category:Ancient Greek anthologists
Category:Ancient Greek geographers
Category:Hellenistic-era philosophers in Athens
Category:Year of birth unknown