Potamon of Mytilene (Ποτάμων ὁ Μυτιληναῖος) was a Greek rhetorician and historian active in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Inscriptions from his native city record that he served as a successful ambassador to the emperors Augustus and Tiberius, securing the restoration of Mytilene’s freedom and lost territory [1][2]. He also held local offices, including stephanephoros and priest, and was honored with public decrees and statues [1][2].

His sole attested work, now lost, is On the Foundation of Mytilene (Περὶ τῆς Μυτιλήνης κτίσεως), mentioned in the 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia, the Suda [1][3].

Potamon exemplifies the local Greek elite who adeptly negotiated civic privileges within the early Roman Empire. His career illustrates the continued importance of civic diplomacy, while his writing represents the common genre of local history and city foundations in the Hellenistic and Roman periods [1][2][3].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: Potamon of Mytilene: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-8229 2. Perseus Digital Library: Inscriptions from Mytilene referencing Potamon: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0004:entry=potamon 3. Suda On Line (via ToposText): Entry for Potamon: https://topostext.org/work/529#pi.2161