Eforo
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c hapter four
Ephorus’s History
A
lthough his work does not survive, Ephorus of Cyme (FGrHist 70)
exerted a large influence on succeeding historians.1 He was apparently a prolific writer. The work he is best known for is a History in thirty
books (T 1, FF 7 – 96, 201 – 36). Its title is variously given in our sources in
both the singular and the plural, perhaps because the workoriginally had
no title, as the Suda entry appears to indicate (T 1). For ease of reference, I
shall follow Strabo (13.3.6 T 2) and use the singular. In addition to his
History, Ephorus is attested to have written a local history ( Επιχ ωριος
λογος) (FF 1, 97 – 103), a treatise on style (Περ ι Λεξεως) (FF 6, 107 – 8),
and an On Inventions (Περ ι Ευρηµατων) in two books (T 1, FF 2 – 5,
104 – 6). TheSuda indicates that Ephorus’s work also included a work On
Virtues and Vices (Περ ι αγαθων κα ι κακων) in twenty-four books and a
Marvels (Παραδοξων) in fifteen (T 1). Since neither of these works has left
any traces in later sources, it is likely they were later collections of excerpts
from Ephorus’s History.2 The fact that later sources were able to draw
twenty-four books containing edifyingmaterial on virtues and vices and
1. Charles William Fornara, The Nature of History in Ancient Greece and Rome (Berkeley
and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1983), 44 – 46.
2. E. Schwartz, “Ephoros,” RE 11 (1907), 1 – 16, and Kenneth S. Sacks, Diodorus Siculus
and the First Century (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990), 26 n. 7.
113
114
l e s s o n s f ro m t he pa s t
fifteen books of marvels from Ephorus’s larger historical work illustrates
the latter’s overall moralizing nature (even if the books of excerpts were
much smaller). Ephorus was the first to write a universal history,3 the
topics of which were arranged thematically (kata genos) (T 11), probably
geographically.4 For both these attributes, his History has gained many
successors.
Inhis History, Ephorus decided to avoid the “mythological period,”5
because of its difficulty (δυσχερεια), as Diodorus tells us (4.1.2 T 8). We
can infer from Harpocration (s.v. αρχαιως F 9) that for Ephorus, the
difficulty in discussing the ancient past involved the unreliability of details
preserved over so long a period of time. Accordingly, Ephorus began his
work with the Return of theHeracleidae,6 a choice that may well have
been determined because it formed the termination of Hellanicus’s mythographical work,7 and concluded it with the siege of Perinthus in 341/0.
The large scope of his History would have offered Ephorus fertile material
for the moralizing interests that the collection of excerpts entitled On
Virtues and Vices dicates he had.
Because Ephorus’s History does notsurvive, it is necessary first to
examine to what extent the distortions imposed by the fragmentary nature
of the extant portion of his work impede us from an accurate knowledge of
his purpose and methods.8 Then, with these limitations in mind, we shall
3. τα καθολου (Polybius 5.33.2 T 7), κοινα ι πραξεις (Diodorus 4.1.3 T 8, 5.1.4 T
11); cf. J. M. Alonso-Nunez, “The Emergence of UniversalHistoriography from the 4th to the
´˜
2nd Centuries b.c.,” in Purposes of History: Studies in Greek History from the 4th to the 2nd
Centuries B .C ., Studia Hellenistica 30, ed. Herman Verdin, Guido Schepens, and Els de Keyser
(Louvain: n.p., 1990), 173 – 92.
4. Robert Drews, “Ephorus and History Written κατα γενος,” AJP 84 (1963): 244 – 55
and “Ephorus’ κατα γενος History Revisited,” Hermes 104(1976): 497 – 98. Pietro Vannicelli (“L’Economia delle storie di Eforo,” RFIC 115 [1987]: 165 – 91), however, believes that
Ephorus had more systematic structural ambitions.
5. Diodorus 4.1.3 T 8: “. . . he passed over the mythological period and, having set in
order events that took place after the Return of the Heracleidae, he made this the beginning
of his history” (. . . τας µ εν...
Ephorus’s History
A
lthough his work does not survive, Ephorus of Cyme (FGrHist 70)
exerted a large influence on succeeding historians.1 He was apparently a prolific writer. The work he is best known for is a History in thirty
books (T 1, FF 7 – 96, 201 – 36). Its title is variously given in our sources in
both the singular and the plural, perhaps because the workoriginally had
no title, as the Suda entry appears to indicate (T 1). For ease of reference, I
shall follow Strabo (13.3.6 T 2) and use the singular. In addition to his
History, Ephorus is attested to have written a local history ( Επιχ ωριος
λογος) (FF 1, 97 – 103), a treatise on style (Περ ι Λεξεως) (FF 6, 107 – 8),
and an On Inventions (Περ ι Ευρηµατων) in two books (T 1, FF 2 – 5,
104 – 6). TheSuda indicates that Ephorus’s work also included a work On
Virtues and Vices (Περ ι αγαθων κα ι κακων) in twenty-four books and a
Marvels (Παραδοξων) in fifteen (T 1). Since neither of these works has left
any traces in later sources, it is likely they were later collections of excerpts
from Ephorus’s History.2 The fact that later sources were able to draw
twenty-four books containing edifyingmaterial on virtues and vices and
1. Charles William Fornara, The Nature of History in Ancient Greece and Rome (Berkeley
and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1983), 44 – 46.
2. E. Schwartz, “Ephoros,” RE 11 (1907), 1 – 16, and Kenneth S. Sacks, Diodorus Siculus
and the First Century (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990), 26 n. 7.
113
114
l e s s o n s f ro m t he pa s t
fifteen books of marvels from Ephorus’s larger historical work illustrates
the latter’s overall moralizing nature (even if the books of excerpts were
much smaller). Ephorus was the first to write a universal history,3 the
topics of which were arranged thematically (kata genos) (T 11), probably
geographically.4 For both these attributes, his History has gained many
successors.
Inhis History, Ephorus decided to avoid the “mythological period,”5
because of its difficulty (δυσχερεια), as Diodorus tells us (4.1.2 T 8). We
can infer from Harpocration (s.v. αρχαιως F 9) that for Ephorus, the
difficulty in discussing the ancient past involved the unreliability of details
preserved over so long a period of time. Accordingly, Ephorus began his
work with the Return of theHeracleidae,6 a choice that may well have
been determined because it formed the termination of Hellanicus’s mythographical work,7 and concluded it with the siege of Perinthus in 341/0.
The large scope of his History would have offered Ephorus fertile material
for the moralizing interests that the collection of excerpts entitled On
Virtues and Vices dicates he had.
Because Ephorus’s History does notsurvive, it is necessary first to
examine to what extent the distortions imposed by the fragmentary nature
of the extant portion of his work impede us from an accurate knowledge of
his purpose and methods.8 Then, with these limitations in mind, we shall
3. τα καθολου (Polybius 5.33.2 T 7), κοινα ι πραξεις (Diodorus 4.1.3 T 8, 5.1.4 T
11); cf. J. M. Alonso-Nunez, “The Emergence of UniversalHistoriography from the 4th to the
´˜
2nd Centuries b.c.,” in Purposes of History: Studies in Greek History from the 4th to the 2nd
Centuries B .C ., Studia Hellenistica 30, ed. Herman Verdin, Guido Schepens, and Els de Keyser
(Louvain: n.p., 1990), 173 – 92.
4. Robert Drews, “Ephorus and History Written κατα γενος,” AJP 84 (1963): 244 – 55
and “Ephorus’ κατα γενος History Revisited,” Hermes 104(1976): 497 – 98. Pietro Vannicelli (“L’Economia delle storie di Eforo,” RFIC 115 [1987]: 165 – 91), however, believes that
Ephorus had more systematic structural ambitions.
5. Diodorus 4.1.3 T 8: “. . . he passed over the mythological period and, having set in
order events that took place after the Return of the Heracleidae, he made this the beginning
of his history” (. . . τας µ εν...
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