Lucian of Samosata (Λουκιανὸς ὁ Σαμοσατεύς)
Life
Lucian was born in Samosata, capital of the Roman province of Commagene in northern Syria [1]. A native Syriac speaker who mastered Attic Greek, he abandoned an early sculpting apprenticeship to become a traveling lecturer and professional rhetorician throughout the Roman Empire [1][2]. His career peaked during the Second Sophistic, a 2nd-century CE revival of classical Greek culture, and late in life he held an administrative post in Roman Egypt [1][2].
Works
His approximately 80 surviving prose works blend satire, dialogue, and parody [1][2][3]. Major titles include the parody of travel tales True History (Ἀληθῆ διηγήματα); the satirical Dialogues of the Dead (Νεκρικοὶ Διάλογοι) and Dialogues of the Gods (Θεῶν Διάλογοι); The Sale of Lives (Βίων Πρᾶσις), which auctions philosophical schools; and polemical exposes like Alexander the False Prophet (Ἀλέξανδρος ἢ Ψευδόμαντις) [1].
Significance
Lucian is a central figure of the Second Sophistic, renowned for his Attic style and satirical critique of contemporary intellectual, religious, and social conventions [1][3]. His inventive dialogues profoundly influenced later European literature, from Erasmus and Shakespeare to the development of satirical and science-fiction narratives [1][2].
Sources
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lucian/
2. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lucian
3. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/Lucian_of_Samosata/
Available Works
Ἀλέξανδρος ἢ Ψευδόμαντις
Alexander Or The False Prophet
57 passages
Ἀνάχαρσις ἢ Περὶ Γυμνασίων
Anacharsis Or-Gymnasia
39 passages
Θεῶν Ἐκκλησία
Assembly of the Gods
18 passages
Χάρων ἢ Ἐπισκοποῦντες
Charon or Inspectors
25 passages
Ἑταιρικοὶ Διάλογοι
Companion Dialogues
60 passages
Κατάπλους
Descent to the Underworld
30 passages
Διάλογος πρὸς Ἡσίοδον
Dialogue to Hesiod
10 passages
Νεκρικοὶ Διάλογοι
Dialogues of the Dead
113 passages
Θεῶν Διάλογοι
Dialogues of the Gods
61 passages
Κατάπλους ἢ Τύραννος
Dispute of the Consonants
12 passages
Ἐγκώμιον Πατρίδος
encom of the Fatherland
12 passages
Ἐγκώμιον Μύσκης
encom of the Fly
12 passages
Ὑπὲρ τῶν Εἰκόνων
For the Images
30 passages
Ὄνειρος ἢ Ἀλεκτρυών
Gallus
34 passages
Ἑρμότιμος ἢ Περὶ Αἱρέσεων
Hermotimus or-Sects
85 passages
Ἡρόδοτος ἢ Ἀετίων
Herodotus or Aetion
8 passages
Ἱππίας ἢ Βαλανεῖον
Hippias or The Bath
9 passages
Πῶς δεῖ Ἱστορίαν συγγράφειν
How to Write History
58 passages
Ἰκαρομένιππος ἢ Ὑπερνέφελος
Icaromenippus
33 passages
Ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐν τῇ Προσαγορεύσει Πταίσματος
In Defense of the Addressed Fault
16 passages
Θεῶν Κρίσις
Judgment of the Gods
17 passages
Ἐνάλιοι Διάλογοι
Marine Dialogues
42 passages
Μένιππος ἢ Νεκυομαντεία
Menippus or the Necromancy
22 passages
Περὶ τῆς Ἀστρολογίας
On Astrology
25 passages
Περὶ τοῦ μὴ ῥᾳδίως πιστεύειν Διαβολῇ
On Not Easily Believing Slander
28 passages
Περὶ Θυσιῶν
On Sacrifices
15 passages
Περὶ τῆς Περεγρίνου Τελευτῆς
On the Death of Peregrinus
41 passages
Περὶ τοῦ Ἐνυπνίου ἤτοι Βίος Λουκιανοῦ
On the Dream or Life of Lucian
19 passages
Περὶ τοῦ Παρασίτου ὅτι Τέχνη ἡ Παρασιτική
On the Parasite, that Parasite is an Art
55 passages
Περὶ τῆς Συρίης Θεοῦ
On the Syrian Goddess
56 passages
Περὶ τῶν Διψάδων
On the Thirsty
10 passages
Περὶ τῶν ἐν Μισθῷ συνόντων
On Those Living in Misthos
42 passages
Φιλοψευδὴς ἢ Ἀπιστῶν
Philopseudes or The Incredulous
41 passages
Νιγρίνου Φιλοσοφία
Philosophy of Nigrianus
37 passages
Προλαλιά. Διόνυσος
Prologue, Dionysus
8 passages
Ψευδολογιστής
Pseudologist
33 passages
Ψευδοσοφιστής ἢ Σολοικιστής
Pseudosophist or Solecist
13 passages
Ἀναβιοῦντες ἢ Ἁλιεύς
Reviving or Fisherman
52 passages
Βίων Πρᾶσις
Sale of Lives
28 passages
Σκύθης ἢ Πρόξενος
Scythian or the Envoy
12 passages
Συμπόσιον ἢ Λαπίθαι
Symposium
46 passages
Ῥητόρων Διδάσκαλος
Teacher of Rhetoricians
26 passages
Ἀποκηρυττόμενος
The Renounced
32 passages
Πλοῖον ἢ Εὐχαί
The Ship or Prayers
46 passages
Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα Προμηθεὺς εἶ ἐν λόγοις
To the One Who Said, Prometheus If You Are in Words
8 passages
Πρὸς τὸν ἀπαίδευτον καὶ πολλὰ βιβλία ὠνούμενον
To the Uneducated Man Buying Many Books
28 passages
Τόξαρις ἢ Φιλία
Toxaris or Friendship
63 passages
Ἀληθεῖς Ἱστορίαι
True Histories
89 passages
Δὶς κατηγορούμενος
Twice Accused
37 passages
Τυραννοκτόνος
Tyrannicide
21 passages
Ζεὺς ἐλεγχόμενος
Zeus Refuted
20 passages
Ζεὺς Τραγῳδός
Zeus the Tragedian
53 passages
Ζεύξις ἢ Ἀντίοχος
Zeuxis or Antiochus
13 passages