Christodorus of Coptus (Χριστόδωρος ὁ Κόπτιος) was a Greek epic poet active during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518) [1]. A native of Coptus in Upper Egypt, he later worked in Constantinople [1]. The 10th-century encyclopedia Suda records that he was the son of Paniscus and authored an epic, the Isaurica, on Anastasius's war against the Isaurians, firmly placing his floruit in the late 5th and early 6th centuries CE [1][2].

His known works include the lost six-book epic **Ἰσαυρικά (Isaurica)** and a lost collection of hexameter poems on various cities titled Patria [1][2]. His only surviving work is the **Ἐκφρασις τῶν ἀγαλμάτων τῶν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον γυμνάσιον τοῦ Ζευξίππου (Ekphrasis of the Statues in the Public Gymnasium of Zeuxippus)**, preserved in the Greek Anthology. This epyllion of 416 hexameters describes over 80 statues in the Baths of Zeuxippus in Constantinople [1][2][3].

Christodorus is a significant representative of the late antique epic tradition. His surviving Ekphrasis provides valuable insight into the cultural landscape of early Byzantine Constantinople and stands within the important rhetorical tradition of vivid description [1][3].

Sources 1. Suda On Line: Christodoros (translation and commentary of the Suda entry): https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/chi/595 2. Perseus Digital Library: Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Christodorus": http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Dchristodorus-bio-1 3. ToposText: Christodorus, "Ekphrasis of the Statues in the Baths of Zeuxippus" (text and translation link): https://topostext.org/work/741