Antipater of Thessalonica ( grc-gre, Ἀντίπατρος ὁ Θεσσαλονικεύς; c. 10 BC - c. AD 38) was a Greek epigrammatist of the Roman period.

Biography

Antipater lived during the latter part of the reign of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

, and perhaps into the reign of

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

. He enjoyed the patronage of Lucius Calpurnius Piso (consul in 15 BC and then proconsul of Macedonia for several years), who appointed him governor of

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

. As the author of over a hundred

epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mille ...

s in the ''

Greek Anthology The ''Greek Anthology'' ( la, Anthologia Graeca) is a collection of poems, mostly epigrams, that span the Classical and Byzantine periods of Greek literature. Most of the material of the ''Greek Anthology'' comes from two manuscripts, the ''Pa ...

,'' Antipater is the most copious and perhaps the most interesting of the Augustan epigrammatists. There are many allusions in his work to contemporary history: *One poem celebrates the foundation of

Nicopolis Nicopolis ( grc-gre, Νικόπολις, Nikópolis, City of Victory) or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus. It was located in the western part of the modern state of Greece. The city was founded in 29 ...

Octavian Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

after the

battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, nea ...

*Another anticipates his victory over the Parthians in the expedition of 20 BC *Another is addressed to

Gaius Caesar Gaius Caesar (; 20 BC – 21 February 4 AD) was the grandson and heir to the throne of Roman emperor Augustus, alongside his younger brother Lucius Caesar. Although he was born to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia, Augustus' only daughter, Gai ...

, who died in AD 4.

References

Bibliography

Primary Sources

* ''Select Epigrams from the Greek Anthology.'' Translated by J. W. Mackail (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1890) *''The Geography of Strabo,'' V (Loeb Classical Library). Translated by H. L. Jones (Cambridge MA: Harvard UP, 1928) * ''The Greek Anthology,'' I, II, III, IV, V (Loeb Classical Library). Translated by W. R. Paton (London: Heinemann, 1916) * ''Vitruvius: On Architecture''
I
(Loeb Classical Library). Translated by Frank Granger (London: Heinemann, 1931)

Secondary Sources

* * * *

External links