Ephippus of Olynthus

Ephippus of Olynthus was a Greek historian of the 4th century BC

Ephippus came from the city of Olynthus, which was destroyed by the Macedonians Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, in 348 BC, which is why his birth is to be set before that date. Whether he took part in Alexander's unclear as to equate the historian with other known persons of this name is problematic.

Ephippus wrote a work entitled On the death of Hephaistion and Alexander or over the funeral of Alexander and Hephaistion, of which only a few fragments survive ( The fragments of Greek historians No. 126). This work differs from the scriptures of other Alexander historians in that it dealt only with the final stages of life of the Macedon king. From the few fragments show that Ephippus has drawn an extremely hostile Alexander image, which is possibly due to the condemnation of Callisthenes of Olynthus by Alexander. His work obviously put a defamatory typeface indicates in the fragments of the pamphlet is Alexander immoderate alcohol consumption accused and denounced his ostentation. On the farm open fear that reigned, the king was murderous and insane.

The credibility of the Ephippus is controversial because of the obvious tendency of his work, although all his statements can not be dismissed as untrue a flat rate. The fact that the atmosphere at the court of Alexander can be considered as harmonious hardly be covered from other sources, although they are based on a rather negative towards Alexander tradition. The work of Ephippus was used in the subsequent period of Athenaeus.