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ERANALMAGOR
havecontinuedanalreadyexistingtraditionofworkscalledPersica,writtenbyDio-
nysusofMiletus(FGrH,no.687;Suda,s.v.“ΔioVýσiog”,Delta,1180:ΠSPσiK@ºÜδi
δiOXÝKT¥),CharonofLampascus(FGrH,no.262,687b;ΠSPσiK@TVβiβXßoigβ)andby
HellanicusofLesbos(FGrH,no.4).4Ctesiasfollowedinthefootstepsoftheseworksin
providingcolorfulethnographicdepictionsofEasterncultures,mythologiesandpoliti-
calhistory,yethisinnovationwastodosowithaninternal,Persian,pointofview.5The
espousalofthePersianattitudetothepastapparentlyopenedthedoorfortheinclusion
ofnovelisticfeaturesinCtesias’description,aswellasformakingitmoredisposedto
theadoptionofGreekliterarytechniquesandallusions(seebelow).Ontheotherhand,
Ctesiascombinedhispresentationwithastoryofagrandhistoricalprocess,likeHero-
dotus’“GreatEvent”butinawaythatseemstohavemarginalizedtheGreco-Persian
WarsintooneeventamongmanyofthePersianEmpire.6Thenewgenrechallenged
generationsofreadersfromantiquity,andcontinuestodefyanywelldefinedappre-
ciationeventoday.7Inantiquity,Ctesias’workswerenothighlyregarded.Repeatedly
regardedasuntrustworthyanddeemedamythographer,whoseaccountsaresensational
andfullofpathosandwhosedetailscouldnotbereliedupon,8Ctesiaswasthussaid
tohavefoundedhisown“liarschool.”9Thisattitudeappearstobemaintainedamong
severalscholarstoday.10Yet,bothinancientandmoderntimes,thisapproachhasnot
precludedCtesiasfrombeingcitedwidely.11Forinstance,Plutarchuseshimextensively
inthebiographyofArtaxerxes,eventhoughhesharesthisdisrespectforthephysician
(Art.1.4,6.9,13.5-7).12Indeed,recentyearshaveseenanattemptataRehabilitationof
4
5
SeeLenfant2009.
Marincola1997:170.
6
SeeLlewellyn-Jones/Robson2010:52,58-68,83.
7
“Demetrius”(FT14a.215)callsCtesiasapoet(πoinT[g).Cf.P.HögemanninDerNeuePauly,s.v.
“Ktesias”:“Historikerdemlit.Genre,RomanschriftstellermodernenKriteriennach.”Cf.Jacoby1922:2033
andWhitmarsh2008:2:“romanticizedPersianhistory”;cf.theattemptsofLlewellyn-Jones/Robson2010:
theyconsideritsomethingmorethanstraightforward“history”writing(4),ameldingof“thelegendaryas-
pectsofEasternhistory”withpersonalobservationsofrecentevents(6-7),a“courthistory”(66-68),a“no-
vella”combinedwithhistory(69-76),a“creativedramatichistory”(78)anda“melangeofhistory,gossip,
fantasy,and(tragic)poetry”(86).SeethelengthydiscussioninStronk(2010:36-51).
8
SeeAntigonosofCaristos,Hist.Mir.15;Luc.VH1.3;cf.Gellius,NA9.4.1;Strabo,1.2.35and11.6.3.
MostofthecriticismwasontheIndica.SeeLlewellyn-Jones/Robson2010:32-33.
9
SeeBraun2004:123.OnHerodotusinparticularD.Fehling,Herodotusandhis“Sources”(trans.
J.G.Howie),Leeds1989;originallypublishedinGermanin1971).SeeMomigliano1958;Evans1968;
Pritchett1993.
10
UndertheinfluenceofJacoby(1922:2033,2045-2047:“gleichNull”);cf.Burn(1962:12);Mo-
migliano(1975:134);Cook(1983:22);Sancisi-Weerdenburg(1983:21;1987:35,43);Briant(2002:7,
265);Lenfant(2004:CXXIV-CXXVII).OnCtesias’loveofsensationalismseeCizek,1975:547.Onhis
manyshortcomingsasahistorianseeBigwood1976;1978;1980:197;1983(errors,doubtfulnumbers,
questionablegeography,bias,simplification,confusion,duplications,anachronisms,etc.).Cf.MacGinnis
1988.AcomparisonwithHerodotusisusuallytoCtesias’disadvantage.Cf.Drews1973:103-116.Thefirst
publicationofthecelebratedepitomeofCtesiasbyPhotius(seebelow),byStephanus(1566)sawitappended
tothetextofHerodotus.
11
SeeArrian,Anab.5.4.2:sKOV{gKO.ΚTnσ.OgTgTSKμnP.ωσiV.Cf.Karttunen1997:636.
12
HealsoquotesCtesiasinDesollertiaanimalium(974de),whereoxeninSusancarryonlyahundred
bucketsofwatereachanditisimpossibletomakethemfetchmore;cf.Ael.NA7.1=F34a.Stadter(1965:
53)assumesthatPlutarchmadedirectuseofCtesiasinMul.Virt.246ab,onPersianwomen,asthisstoryalso
