Artemidorus of Knidos ( grc-gre, Ἀρτεμίδωρος), 1st century BC, was a native of

Knidos Knidos or Cnidus (; grc-gre, Κνίδος, , , Knídos) was a Ancient Greece, Greek city in ancient Caria and part of the Dorian Hexapolis, in south-western Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. It was situated on the Datça peninsula, which forms the ...

in southwest Anatolia. He is now best known as a minor character in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

'' where, aware of the plot against Caesar's life, he attempts to warn him with a written note. Although Caesar takes the note he does not look at it before entering the Senate and shortly thereafter is assassinated. The story originates with

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...

. The name Artemidorus was found on an inscription at Knidos by geologist William Hamilton in the 1830s. It occurs along with the name Gaius Julius Theopompus, a friend of Julius Caesar, also mentioned by Plutarch. From the inscription, it appears that Artemidorus was the name of both the father and the son of Theopompus. G. Hirschfield argued that Artemidorus was the son and cites a further inscription which is also discussed by C. T. Newton. This describes the honors to be given – including an altar to be built and maintained, and celebratory games – to a person whose name is unfortunately missing. However, since the games were to be called “Artemidoreia”, the likely honoree was Artemidorus. That Artemidorus was honored in this way could be due to the tax remittance granted by Caesar to the Knidians as a reward for his families’ adherence. The Newton inscription ends by stating that the honors would be equal to those of the Gods, and JenkinsI. Jenkins, The Lion of Knidos p. 52, British Museum Press 2008 points out that Artemidorus may have been the last citizen of the Roman Republic to be made a God in his own lifetime. In 2022, President Erdoğan commended Artemidorus as "a great man and a great denizen of Turkey," perhaps in an attempt to establish a spiritual correspondence between himself and Julius Caesar.

References

1st-century BC births 1st-century BC deaths {{turkey-bio-stub