He ̄liodo ̄ros of Athens (250 BCE – 95 CE)
A tragic poet and paradoxographer, who wrote a didactic poem Apolutika pros Nikomakhon,
discussing remedies against disease. A citation from He ̄liodo ̄ros in I S’s
Anthology (4.36.8 W.-H.), about wells near mount Gaurus in Italy with curative effects on
eye disorders, can be linked to a passage in P (31.3) on medicinal springs said to
have arisen on C’s estate near Puteoli in the time after his death, but closer examin-
ation shows that this connection does not provide a conclusive terminus post Ciceronem for
the author. Thus, the quotation by A P. in G (Antid. 2.7 [14.145
K.]), offers the only chronological clue regarding his life, pointing to 95 CE as a terminus
ante quem.
RE 8.1 (1912) 15 (#10), E. Diehl; A.A.M. Esser, “Zur Frage der Lebenszeit Heliodors von
Athen,” Gymnasium 54/55 (1943/1944) 114–117; Fabricius (1972) 203; BNP 6 (2005) 71 (#4),
B. Zimmermann.
Jan Bollansée, Karen Haegemans, and Guido Schepens
He ̄liodo ̄ros of Larissa (400 – 600 CE?)
He ̄liodo ̄ros is known only by his presence in the title of the Optica of D, where
Damianos is said to be “of He ̄liodo ̄ros,” which probably means that He ̄liodo ̄ros was
Damianos’ father. Were he the author of the Optica that Damianos had later edited, this
status would probably have been indicated more explicitly. Nonetheless, He ̄liodo ̄ros is iden-
tified as the author of the Optica in all editions prior to the most recent.
DPA 3 (2000) 544–546, Robert B. Todd.
Robert B. Todd
He ̄liodo ̄ros ( pseudo?) et alii (700 – 800 CE)
Four iambic poems On the Divine Art are preserved in MS Marcianus gr. 299, attributed
respectively to He ̄liodo ̄ros, Theophrastos, Hierotheos, and Arkhelaos. These very mystically-
inspired poems contain litanies on gold and parallel S in style and content.
Attributed to Hierotheos is the extant On the Sacred Art (CAAG 2.450–451), credited also to
E in the early table of MS Marcianus gr. 299. Goldschmidt (1923: 11–15) considers
all these names as referring to one person, probably He ̄liodo ̄ros, said to have addressed
his poems to Theodosios ( probably the emperor Theodosios III, reigned 716– 717 CE).
Goldschmidt explains the pseudonyms thus: “Theophrastos” for his interest in natural phil-
osophy, “Hierotheos” as being the teacher of Dionusios the Areopagite, and “Arkhelaos” as
having been considered the teacher of So ̄crate ̄s. He ̄liodo ̄ros is either the real name of the
author (Goldschmidt), or a forger trying to pass as He ̄liodo ̄ros of Emesa, the 2nd to
4th c. CE novelist (Berthelot 1885: 202).
Ed.: Ideler 2 (1842/1963) 382–352; Goldschmidt (1923).
Berthelot (1885) 121–122, 201–202; C.A. Browne, “Rhetorical and religious aspects of Greek alchemy.
Including a commentary and translation of the poem of the philosopher Archelaos upon the sacred
art,” Ambix 2 (1938) 129–137; 3 (1948) 15–25; DPA 1 (1989) 334, R. Goulet; Saffrey (1995) 5;
Letrouit (1995) 82–83.
Cristina Viano
HE ̄LIODO ̄ROS OF ATHENS