Life The name “Oppian Lives” (Ὀππιανοῦ Βίοι) refers not to an author but to a biographical tradition concerning two distinct didactic poets of the Roman imperial period. The first is Oppian of Cilicia, author of the Halieutica, who flourished under Marcus Aurelius [1]. The second is Oppian of Apamea, author of the Cynegetica, who lived under Caracalla [1][2]. The transmitted Lives contributed to the historical conflation of these two figures into a single poet.

Works No works are attributed to an author named “Oppian Lives.” The relevant texts are the poems subject to this biographical tradition: the Halieutica, a five-book poem on fishing by Oppian of Cilicia, and the Cynegetica, a four-book poem on hunting by Oppian of Apamea [1][2]. The Lives themselves are prose biographies transmitted alongside these poems in manuscripts.

Significance The biographical tradition surrounding the two Oppians is significant for the history of textual transmission and scholarship. The Lives fostered the long-standing confusion between the poets while aiding the preservation of their works from antiquity through the Byzantine era [1]. The poems were highly valued for their technical content and style, with the Halieutica receiving praise from authors like Aelian [1][2].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Oppian - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/oppian/ 2. Perseus Digital Library: Oppian, Halleutica - http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0483