A.H.M. Jones, The Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces (1937) 514–521; KP 2.1133–1134, H. Gärtner;
HLB 1.531; Tusculum-Lexikon (1982) 338; ODB 930, T.E. Gregory; PLRE 3 (1992) 597.
Andreas Kuelzer
Hierokle ̄s (Veterin.) (300 – 400 CE?)
Wrote an unnamed veterinary text, included in the Hippiatrika, later reconstructed and
published. Hierokle ̄s was, according to his preface, a solicitor wishing to compile a book on
equine veterinary medicine. The resulting discourse consists of two books, of which both
prefaces have survived intact. Hierokle ̄s relies heavily on A, although he also
cites H, K L, and S, as well as making use of
A B and the Q. Hierokle ̄s does not, however, cover as
much equine ground as Apsurtos, stating in the first preface that he will only discuss equine
diseases and cures, as his reader already knows about breeding and anatomy.
While the body of Hierokle ̄s’ text straightforwardly restates Apsurtos (littered with such
sayings as: “Apsurtos recommends”), the prefaces reveal literary pretensions. His style
throughout is Atticizing, and each book of the treatise is adorned with a preface whose
rhetorical flourishes contrast with the plainer style used in the body of the text. Hierokle ̄s
discards Apsurtos’ epistolary form which, by its nature, contains information irrelevant to
the topic at hand – the care and curing of horses. He includes no information based on first-
hand experience, but faithfully relays the opinions of his sources. The resulting style is
smoother and more unified than Apsurtos and other parts of the Hippiatrika.
This smoothness and the appeal of the style probably inspired the reconstitution of
Hierokle ̄s’ work by later students of equine medicine, which was the primary conduit of
Greek equine medicine to the west. This work, smaller than the Hippiatrika and more access-
ible than Apsurtos, was the basis for several medieval veterinary expositions, the most not-
able of which is that of Giordano Ruffo, a 13th c. resident of the Sicilian court, later
translated into six languages. A Latin translation of Hierokle ̄s was made by Bartholomew of
Messana for King Manfred of Sicily (reigned 1258–1266).
Björck (1944); K.-D. Fischer, “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! Versions of Greek Horse
Medicine in Medieval Italy,” MHJ 34 (1999) 123–138; McCabe (2007) 208–244.
Jennifer Nilson
Hierokle ̄s of Alexandria (ca 100 – 120 CE)
Stoic philosopher with geometrical approach to ethics, frequently cited by the Platonist
T for opposition to Epicurean hedonism (Gellius 9.5.8). A papyrus fragment
(PBerol. 9780) seems to preserve the introduction to his Elements of Ethics, further extracted by
I S. The papyrus illustrates how the Stoics sought the foundation of
ethics in animal instinct for self-preservation (oikeio ̄sis). Observing how animals behave in
relation to themselves and their environment proves self-perception: animals must perceive
body parts (wings or horns) to use them effectively, and must assess strength or vulnerability
of body parts (a tortoise withdraws into its shell for protection). Hierokle ̄s further treats how
one species behaves towards another (lions are circumspect regarding bulls’ horns but
unconcerned with the rest of the body). Animals’ behavior towards other species seems to
imply a comparative valuation ( perception) of assets and weakness relative to other species.
Hierokle ̄s subscribed to the common Stoic view that the soul enters the body at birth,
extending this to animals as well. Stobaios’ excerpts (4.672 W.-H.) treat actions proper to
HIEROKLE ̄S OF ALEXANDRIA