Aristocles the Paradoxographer (Ἀριστοκλῆς ὁ παραδοξογράφος) was a Hellenistic author of the 3rd century BCE, known for compiling collections of marvels. He is distinguished from other figures named Aristocles by his epithet, which identifies his focus on paradoxa—strange tales of natural phenomena, distant lands, and unusual customs [1].

Two fragmentary works are attributed to him, known primarily through citations in the Bibliotheca of the 9th-century Byzantine patriarch Photius [1]. These are Περὶ παραδόξων (On Marvelous Things), a collection of incredible tales, and Ἱστορίαι (Histories), which likely contained similar narratives [1].

Aristocles is a representative of the Hellenistic genre of paradoxography, which systematically compiled wondrous facts from earlier historians and natural philosophers. His work illustrates the period's appetite for the exotic and served to popularize curious knowledge for entertainment and erudition, placing him within a tradition that includes Callimachus and Antigonus of Carystus [1].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-7993