Timagetus Historian (Τιμάγετος ὁ ἱστοριογράφος)

Life Timagetus is an obscure historian, with no recorded details of his origin or life. The exceptionally broad suggested date range of the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE indicates profound uncertainty about his floruit. His sole identifier in surviving references is the designation "historian" (ἱστοριογράφος) [1].

Works His work is known only through a single fragment cited by Athenaeus of Naucratis in the Deipnosophistae [1]. The title of this historical text is not preserved, and the work is considered lost.

Significance His significance lies in his preservation within the ancient scholarly tradition. Athenaeus’s citation places Timagetus within the network of sources used by later encyclopedic authors, indicating his work was accessible and deemed credible in the Roman Imperial period. He represents the multitude of lost, specialized historians who contributed to broader compilations.

Sources 1. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2013.01.0002%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D1%3Asection%3D1a (Search for "Timagetus" within Athenaeus's Deipnosophistae; the fragment is cited in Book 1, 1a).