Ctesias of Cnidus (Κτησίας ὁ Κνίδιος)

Life Ctesias was a Greek physician and historian from Cnidus. He served as personal physician to the Persian king Artaxerxes II Mnemon for seventeen years, including during the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 BCE, where he claimed to have treated the king’s wound [1][2]. After his service, he returned to Greece and wrote historical works based on his unique access to the Persian court and archives, though his reliability was questioned even in antiquity [1][2].

Works His major works, written in Ionic Greek, include the Persica (Περσικά), a 23-book history of Assyria and Persia preserved in fragments [1][2][4]; the Indica (Ἰνδικά), a fragmentary account of India’s geography and marvels [1][2][4]; and the lost geographical work Periodos or Periplous [3][4].

Significance Ctesias is a significant though controversial source for the Greek understanding of the Near East and India. His Persica was a major source for later historians, while his Indica founded a Western literary tradition of describing India. His works provide valuable evidence for Greek perceptions and the transmission of knowledge, blending possible Persian traditions with Greek literary tropes [2][4].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: Ctesias of Cnidus: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ctesias-of-Cnidus 2. World History Encyclopedia: Ctesias of Cnidus: https://www.worldhistory.org/Ctesias_of_Cnidus/ 3. Suda On Line (via ToposText): Κτησίας: https://topostext.org/work/529#kt.170 4. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: Ctesias of Cnidus: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-1952