Theopompus of Chios (Θεόπομπος ὁ Χῖος) was a Greek historian and rhetorician of the 4th century BCE. Born around 378 BCE on Chios, he was exiled due to his father's pro-Spartan stance and studied in Athens under the orator Isocrates [1][2][3]. Recalled to Chios by Alexander the Great around 333 BCE, he was exiled again after Alexander's death and spent his final years in Egypt at the court of Ptolemy I, dying after 320 BCE [1][2]. Ancient critics like Dionysius of Halicarnassus describe him as a moralizing, digressive, and sharply critical writer [1][3].

His major works, surviving only in fragments, are historical. These include the Hellenica (Ἑλληνικά), a 12-book continuation of Thucydides covering 411–394 BCE, and the Philippica (Φιλιππικά), a monumental 58-book history centered on Philip II of Macedon that included wide-ranging ethnographic digressions [1][2][3]. He also composed rhetorical works, now lost, such as an Epitome of Herodotus [1][2].

Theopompus was a major historian, considered with Ephorus as one of Isocrates' two great pupils [3]. His Philippica was ambitious in scope, framing Macedonian ascendancy within a broad geographical context. His method—combining extensive research with a strong, judgmental authorial voice—represents a significant development in Greek historiography between Thucydides and the Hellenistic era [1].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Theopompus of Chios: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/theopompus/ 2. Encyclopædia Britannica: Theopompus of Chios: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theopompus-of-Chios 3. Perseus Digital Library, Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: Theopompus: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Dtheopompus-bio-1