Neoptolemus the Grammarian (Νεοπτόλεμος ὁ γραμματικός) was a Hellenistic grammarian and literary critic from Parium (or possibly Paros), active in the 2nd century BCE. His life is obscure, known only through later references. The Roman poet Horace mentions him in the Ars Poetica [1].

No works by Neoptolemus survive directly. He is credited with a systematic treatise on poetics, which Horace notes he "compiled" (texuit) [1]. Later testimonia suggest his work may have organized poetics into a tripartite framework: poiēma (the poem), poiēsis (the composition), and poiētēs (the poet) [2]. His writings survive only as fragments and references in later authors.

Neoptolemus is significant for his influence on later literary theory. His theoretical framework, particularly the potential tripartite division, was a major source for Horace's Ars Poetica [1][2]. Through this conduit, his ideas entered the mainstream of classical and European poetic theory, exemplifying the technical literary criticism of the Hellenistic period.

Sources 1. Perseus Digital Library: Horace, Ars Poetica, lines 1-37 (commentary note on line 295) - https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0065%3Apoem%3D1 2. Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (via Perseus): Entry for "Neoptolemus" of Parium - https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=neoptolemus-bio-19