Callistratus of Heraclea Pontica (Καλλίστρατος ὁ Ἡρακλεώτης) was a Hellenistic historian of the 2nd century BCE from the city of Heraclea Pontica on the Black Sea’s southern coast [1][2]. No specific biographical details survive beyond his name, origin, and profession [1][2]. His floruit is deduced from the content of his work and his citation by later authors [1][2].

His only known work is the History of Heraclea Pontica (Ἱστορίαι Ἡρακλείας or similar), now lost and preserved only in fragments [1][2]. This local history covered events from the city’s mythological foundations to at least the 4th century BCE, including the tyranny of Clearchus [2].

Callistratus is significant primarily as a source for later historians of the Black Sea region. His work is cited by later authors such as Photius in the 9th century CE and John Tzetzes in the 12th century CE [1][2]. Photius notes that Callistratus’s history was used by the later historian Nymphis, indicating his role in preserving local historical details for subsequent compilers [1][2].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: Callistratus of Heraclea (https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-1323) 2. Perseus Digital Library, Catalog of the Greek Historians: Callistratus (http://catalog.perseus.org/catalog/urn:cite:perseus:author.183) 3. Encyclopædia Britannica: Heraclea Pontica (https://www.britannica.com/place/Heraclea-Pontica)