Iamblichus (novelist)
Encyclopedia
Iamblichus was an Ancient Syrian
Greek
novelist.
Iamblichus was an Emesene
that achieved wide prominence in the 2nd century. He describes himself on being having ‘descended from the ancient dynasts’, including the Priest Kings of the Emesani Dynasty
. Iamblichus had the knowledge of three languages: Assyrian
, Babylonian
and Greek.
Iamblichus was educated in Babylon
, and didn’t become acquainted with the Greek language until later in his life. After having lived at Babylon for a number of years, he was taken prisoner and sold as a slave to a Syrian, who, however, appears to have set him free again. He is said to have acquired such a perfect knowledge of Greek that he even distinguished himself as a rhetorician
. For a time, he lived in Armenia, when it was ruled by the Roman Client King; his fellow Emesene and distant relative Sohaemus
.
Iamblichus was the author of the Βαβυλωνιακά (Babyloniaka, "Babylonian History"), a romance novel
in Greek, which, if not the earliest, was at least one of the first productions of this kind in Greek literature. It contained the story of two lovers, Rhodanes and Sinonis. According to the Suda
, it consisted of 39 books; but Photios, who gives a tolerably full epitome
of the work, mentions only 17. A perfect copy of the work in MS. existed down to the year 1671, when it was destroyed by fire. A few fragments of the original work are still extant.
The epitome of Photios and the fragments are collected in Chardon de la Rochette's Melanges de Critique et de Philologie, pp. 18, 34 and 53, and in Franz Passow
's Corpus Erotic., vol. i.; comp. Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. viii. p. 152; Gerardus Vossius, De Hist. Graec. p. 275, ed. Westermann.
History of Syria
The history of Syria:*Prehistory and Ancient Near East: see Pre-history of the Southern Levant, Fertile Crescent, Ebla, Mitanni*Antiquity: see Syro-Hittite states, Greater Syria, Roman Syria...
Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
novelist.
Iamblichus was an Emesene
Homs
Homs , previously known as Emesa , is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
that achieved wide prominence in the 2nd century. He describes himself on being having ‘descended from the ancient dynasts’, including the Priest Kings of the Emesani Dynasty
Royal family of Emesa
The royal family of Emesa, also known as the Emesani Dynasty or the Sempsigerami of Emesa , sometimes known as The Sampsiceramids were a ruling Roman client dynasty of priest-kings in Emesa, Syria Province...
. Iamblichus had the knowledge of three languages: Assyrian
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
, Babylonian
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
and Greek.
Iamblichus was educated in Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, and didn’t become acquainted with the Greek language until later in his life. After having lived at Babylon for a number of years, he was taken prisoner and sold as a slave to a Syrian, who, however, appears to have set him free again. He is said to have acquired such a perfect knowledge of Greek that he even distinguished himself as a rhetorician
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. For a time, he lived in Armenia, when it was ruled by the Roman Client King; his fellow Emesene and distant relative Sohaemus
Sohaemus of Armenia
Gaius Julius Sohaemus, also known as Sohaemus of Armenia and Sohaemo was an Emesene Aristocrat from Syria who served as a Roman Client King of Armenia....
.
Iamblichus was the author of the Βαβυλωνιακά (Babyloniaka, "Babylonian History"), a romance novel
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
in Greek, which, if not the earliest, was at least one of the first productions of this kind in Greek literature. It contained the story of two lovers, Rhodanes and Sinonis. According to the Suda
Suda
The Suda or Souda is a massive 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Suidas. It is an encyclopedic lexicon, written in Greek, with 30,000 entries, many drawing from ancient sources that have since been lost, and often...
, it consisted of 39 books; but Photios, who gives a tolerably full epitome
Epitome
An epitome is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment....
of the work, mentions only 17. A perfect copy of the work in MS. existed down to the year 1671, when it was destroyed by fire. A few fragments of the original work are still extant.
The epitome of Photios and the fragments are collected in Chardon de la Rochette's Melanges de Critique et de Philologie, pp. 18, 34 and 53, and in Franz Passow
Franz Passow
Franz Ludwig Carl Friedrich Passow was a German classical scholar and lexicographer.He was born at Ludwigslust in Mecklenburg-Schwerin...
's Corpus Erotic., vol. i.; comp. Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. viii. p. 152; Gerardus Vossius, De Hist. Graec. p. 275, ed. Westermann.
Sources
- A.R. Birley, Septimius Severus: the African emperor, Routledge, 1999
- T. Whitmarsh, The Cambridge companion to the Greek and Roman novel, Cambridge University Press, 2008