Ctesias

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the genus, see Ctesias (beetle).

Ctesias (

Cnidus in Caria, then part of the Achaemenid Empire
.

Historical events

Ctesias was on the Achaemenid side, attending to Artaxerxes II, at the Battle of Cunaxa (401 BC), Jean Adrien Guignet

Ctesias, who lived in the fifth century BC, was physician to the Achaemenid king,

Artaxerxes II, whom he accompanied in 401 BC on his expedition against his brother Cyrus the Younger.[1] Ctesias was part of the entourage of King Artaxerxes at the Battle of Cunaxa (401 BC) against Cyrus the Younger and his Greek mercenaries called the Ten Thousand, when Ctesias provided medical assistance to the king by treating his flesh wound.[2] He reportedly was involved in negotiations with the Greeks after the battle, and also helped their Spartan general Clearchus before his execution at the royal court at Babylon.[3]

Ctesias was the author of treatises on rivers and on the Persian revenues as well as an account of India entitled

Persia in 23 books, entitled Persica (Περσικά) that was written in opposition to Herodotus in the Ionic dialect. Professedly, the work was founded on the Persian Royal Archives.[1]

Persica

Main article: Persica (Ctesias)

The first six books of Persica covered the history of Assyria and

True Story he places Ctesias on an island where the evil were punished. Lucian wrote, "The people who suffered the greatest torment were those who had told lies when they were alive and written mendacious histories; among them were Ctesias of Cnidus, Herodotus, and many others."[5]

According to the

Darius I at Persepolis was in a cliff face that could be reached with an apparatus of ropes.[6]

Indica

Main article: Indica (Ctesias)
Some absurd claims form part of Indica, such as the stories of a race of people with only one leg, or with feet so big they could be used as an umbrella

A record of the view that the Persians held of India was written by Ctesias under the title Indica. It includes descriptions of artisans, philosophers, and people having the qualities of deities, as well as accounts of unquantifiable gold, among other riches and wonders.[7] The work is of value as it records the beliefs of the Persians about India.[1] The book only remains in fragments and in reports made about the book by later authors.

References

  1. ^ a b c d  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ctesias". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 594.
  2. ISBN 9788323388197
    .
  3. ISBN 9788323388197
    .
  4. ^ Peter Frederick Barker, From The Scamander To Syracuse, Studies In Ancient Logistics, page 9, chapter 1.
  5. ^ Lucian, A True Story, 2.31
  6. ^ "Persepolis". Encyclopedia Britannica. 30 October 2023.
  7. ISBN 978-0-06-087414-8
    .

Further reading

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ctesias&oldid=1191155676"