Anaximenes of Lampsacus (Ἀναξιμένης ὁ Λαμψακηνός) Anaximenes of Lampsacus was a 4th-century BCE Greek historian and rhetorician, a pupil of Diogenes the Cynic and Zoilus [2][3]. He is most notable for his association with Alexander the Great, whom he taught in rhetoric and accompanied on campaign, dedicating historical works to him [1][2]. His career was marked by a noted rivalry with the historian Theopompus [2].

Works His major works, most now lost, include the Philippica, a history of Philip II of Macedon, and On Alexander [1][2]. He also wrote a Hellenica and a work on city foundations (Κτίσεις) [2]. He is credibly identified as the true author of the Rhetorica ad Alexandrum (Ῥητορικὴ πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον), a surviving rhetorical treatise long misattributed to Aristotle [1][4].

Significance Anaximenes is significant primarily as the likely author of the Rhetorica ad Alexandrum, the oldest surviving Greek handbook on rhetoric, which predates Aristotle’s work [1][4]. As a contemporary historian of Philip and Alexander, his lost works were an important early source for the rise of Macedon, though ancient critics noted their bias [2].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Plato.stanford.edu): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anaximenes-lampsacus/ 2. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Danaximenes-bio-1 3. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anaximenes-of-Lampsacus 4. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-396