Life The Vatican Paradoxographer is a modern scholarly designation for the anonymous compiler of a paradoxographical collection preserved in a single manuscript (Vaticanus Graecus 305) [1]. No biographical details are known. The compiler is dated to the 2nd century BCE based on the content and the dates of the excerpted sources [1]. Paradoxography was a Hellenistic genre dedicated to cataloging wondrous or paradoxical phenomena from the natural world and history [2].

Works The sole work is the Paradoxographus Vaticanus, a compilation of excerpts from earlier authors. Preserved in a 13th-century manuscript (Vat. gr. 305), the text includes material derived from figures such as Aristeas of Proconnesus, Isigonus of Nicaea, and the natural philosopher Callimachus [1]. The surviving version is considered a Byzantine epitome of a longer Hellenistic compilation.

Significance The compilation is a key representative of Hellenistic paradoxography, reflecting the era's encyclopedic interest in marvels (thaumata) [2]. It preserves valuable fragments of otherwise lost Hellenistic authors, serving as an indirect source for ancient science, geography, and ethnography [1]. Its transmission in a single manuscript underscores the fragile preservation of such specialized genres.

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: Paradoxography: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-4692 2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Callimachus: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/callimachus/