Pseudo-Polemon is the name given to an unknown author from the 2nd century CE, during the Roman Imperial period. This anonymous writer composed a Greek treatise on physiognomy, the practice of judging a person's character from their physical appearance. The work was falsely attributed in later manuscripts to a famous orator of the time named Antonius Polemon, which is how the pseudonym originated. Nothing is known about the actual author's life or background.
The author's only known work is the Physiognomonica. This surviving text details methods for assessing moral disposition based on features like facial structure, body movements, and resemblances to animals. According to modern scholars, the treatise synthesizes earlier Greek theories on the subject, possibly connected to traditions from Aristotle's school. The false attribution to the well-known sophist Polemon is believed to have been a strategy to give the text greater authority and help ensure its preservation.
The work is historically significant as a major source for understanding ancient pseudo-scientific thought. It reflects broader Roman-era interests in rhetoric, character analysis, and classifying human nature. Its influence extended beyond the ancient world, as the text was later translated and studied in the Byzantine and Arabic medieval traditions.
Available Works
Sources
- Stanford Encyclopedia Entry (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Accessed: 2026-01-26
- Britannica Entry (Encyclopædia Britannica) Accessed: 2026-01-26
- Perseus Entry (Perseus Digital Library) Accessed: 2026-01-26
- Oxford Research Encyclopedia Entry (Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics) Accessed: 2026-01-26