Philostephanus of Cyrene (Φιλοστέφανος ὁ Κυρηναῖος) was a Hellenistic author of the 3rd century BCE. He studied under the poet Callimachus at the Library of Alexandria, placing him within the Ptolemaic court's scholarly milieu [1]. No further biographical details survive.

His geographical and paradoxographical works exist only in fragments cited by later authors. These include On the Cities of Asia (Περὶ τῶν ἐν Ἀσίᾳ πόλεων), On Inventions (Περὶ εὑρημάτων), On Islands (Περὶ νήσων), On Cyrene (Περὶ Κυρήνης), On Wonderful Rivers (Περὶ παραδόξων ποταμῶν), and treatises On the Peplus, On Fish, and On Birds, alongside a Hymn to Apollo [1, 2].

Philostephanus is significant as a representative of Hellenistic scholarship, compiling marvels (θαύματα), local legends, and ethnographic details. His works were used as sources by later authors like Athenaeus and Clement of Alexandria [1, 2]. On Inventions notably contributed to the genre tracing the origins of cultural practices and technologies [1].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-5001 2. Perseus Digital Library, Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Dphilostephanus-bio-1