Antiphanes of Berge (or Antiphanes the Younger, grc, Ἀντιφάνης ὁ Βεργαῖος, 4th century BC) was a
Greek writer of the book ''Ἄπιστα'' (Apista; "Unbelievable Things"), and was born in
Berge, a town in
ancient Macedonia
Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...
near
Amphipolis. In his
Geographica
The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Ancient Greek, Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen ...
,
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
[i. p. 47, ii. pp. 102, 104; comp. Polyb. xx xiii. 12] refers to him as an impostor, because Antiphanes wished the reader to believe everything in his book, which actually contained falsehoods. Strabo also attacked the credibility of the writers
Pytheas
Pytheas of Massalia (; Ancient Greek: Πυθέας ὁ Μασσαλιώτης ''Pythéas ho Massaliōtēs''; Latin: ''Pytheas Massiliensis''; born 350 BC, 320–306 BC) was a Greeks, Greek List of Graeco-Roman geographers, geographer, explor ...
and
Euhemerus
Euhemerus (; also spelled Euemeros or Evemerus; grc, Εὐήμερος ''Euhēmeros'', "happy; prosperous"; late fourth century BC) was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedon. Euhemerus' birthplace is disputed, with M ...
in the same chapter.
[ The ]Attic
An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...
verb ''βεργαΐζειν'' (bergaizein) was used in reference to Antiphanes (who lived in Athens). ''βεργαΐζειν'' (bergaizein) refers to the telling of unbelievable stories. He also wrote a work on courtesans. He is not to be confused with Antiphanes of Argos, as was done by some ancient writers.
Writings
''Ἄπιστα'' (Apista; "Unbelievable Things") was the primary work which led to Antiphanes' dismissal as an impostor by Strabo. In addition to other writings and plays, however, Antiphanes' mention of the Greek team game "ἐπίσκυρος" ('' Episkyros'') or "φαινίνδα" (''phaininda'') is thought to be one of the first written records for a game like modern football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
in European history.φαινίνδα
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library Antiphanes's writings (alongside those of
Amphis and
Anaxilas) are also some of a few examples to make reference to the ancient
hetaira Nannion
Nannion (circa 350 BC) was a Greek ''hetaira''. Konstantinos Kapparis: Prostitution in the Ancient Greek World'
She was the daughter of the hetaira Korone and the granddaughter of the hetaira Nannion the Elder. She is likely the same hetai ...
.
See Also
*
Bergaios
Notes
References
Antiphanes of Berge Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
Ancient Greek mythographers
Metics in Classical Athens
Ancient Thracian Greeks
4th-century BC Greek people
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