Neanthes of Cyzicus

Neanthes of Cyzicus was a Greek historian and rhetorician who lived in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. He hailed from the city of Cyzicus, located in Anatolia. Neanthes was a student of Philiscus of Miletus, who in turn had been a pupil of the renowned orator Isocrates. Evidence of Neanthes's standing comes from an honorary decree issued by the people of Delphi in 287 BC, where he was awarded the proxeny. This honor is noted as one of only five such decrees from the 3rd century BC that recognized historians, teachers of grammar or literature, or philosophers for their contributions to the cities' gymnasia. Neanthes was known for his prolific writing, with a primary focus on history. However, very little of his work has survived, making it difficult to fully assess his merits. Despite this, the authors who do reference him, such as Diogenes Laërtius and Athenaeus, generally appear to place significant trust in his accuracy and judgment. His writings were also cited by several early Christian writers and others. Among the works attributed to Neanthes are: *Memoirs of king Attalus*, *Hellenica*, *Lives of illustrious men*, *Pythagorica*, *The myths about the city* (Τὰ κατὰ πόλιν μυθικά), *On Purification*, and *Annals*. It is also suggested that he may have written an account of his own city, Cyzicus, based on a passage in Strabo. Furthermore, he is believed to have authored several panegyrical orations and a work titled Περὶ κακοζηλίας ῥητορικῆς or Περὶ ζηλοτυπίας, which critically addressed the "Asiatic style" of rhetoric. However, there is a scholarly debate regarding the attribution of some works, such as the history of Attalus I and the rhetorical work, due to chronological inconsistencies with the Delphian decree and Philiscus's dates. This has led to the hypothesis that these might be the work of a different Neanthes who lived in the 2nd century BC.