Aristobulus of Cassandreia

Aristobulus of Kassandreia (also Aristobulus; * first half of the 4th century BC; † after 301 BC) was an ancient Greek historian.

Life

Aristobulus of birth is unknown, but he later moved to after Kassandreia. He was probably Hetairos ( companion ) of Philip II and participated in the campaign of Alexander the Great as a technician in part. So he was commissioned by Alexander to restore the tomb of the Persian king Cyrus II in Pasargadae.

On the basis of its own notes and reminders and past historian Alexander ( Callisthenes ), he supposedly began only after 84 years, to write a history of Alexander, which was used by Strabo and Arrian. The work has not survived, but more than 60 fragments ( quotations from the works by later authors ) survived. Thus, Aristobulus had interest in geographical, botanical and ethnographic topics.

Aristobulus is indeed used by Arrian in his Alexander history as a major source (although Arrian probably mainly the work of Ptolemy I is followed ), but this does not mean that the historical work of Aristobulus was exclusively written critically and objectively. Rather, he saw Alexander overall very positive, it denies that Alexander had been drinking a lot (fragment 30, 59 and 62). He also seems to have added some more popular narratives, especially since he had not witnessed all of the events themselves. Yet to be found in the fragments also quite critical remarks about Alexander, whose conquest was unquenchable hunger (fragment 55 and 56).

Expenditure

• Frances Pownall: Aristoboulos of Kassandreia (139). In: Brill 's New Jacoby ( text with English translation, commentary and research discussion).