Chaeremon
(Χαιρήμων).
1. An Athenian tragic poet of considerable eminence. We have no precise information about the time at which he lived, but he must certainly be placed later than Aristophanes, since, though his style was remarkably calculated to expose him to the ridicule of a comoedian, he is nowhere mentioned by that poet, not even in the Frogs. On the other hand, he was attacked by the comic poets, Eubulus (Athen. 2.43c.) and Ephippus, of whom the latter, at least, seems to speak of him as of a contemporary. (Athen. 11.482b.) Aristotle frequently mentions him in a manner which, in the opinion of some critics, implies that Chaeremon was alive. (Rhet. 2.23, 24, 3.12; Problem. 3.16; Poet. 1.9, 24.6.) The writers also who call him a comic poet (see below) assign him to the middle comedy For these and other reasons, the time when Chaeremon flourished may be fixed about B. C. 380. Nothing is known of his life. It may be assumed that he lived at Athens, and the fragments of his poetry which remain afford abundant proofs, that he was trained in the loose morality which marked Athenian society at that period, and that his taste was formed after the model of that debased and florid poetry which Euripides first introduced by his innovations on the drama of Aeschylus and Sophocles, and which was carried to its height by the dithyrambic poets of the age. Accordingly, the fragments and even some of the titles of Chaeremon's plays shew, that he seldom aimed at the heroic and moral grandeur of the old tragedy. He excelled in description, not merely of objects scenes properly belonging to his subject, but description introduced solely to afford pleasure, and that generally of a sensual kind. He especially luxuriates in the description of flowers and of female beauty. His descriptions belong to the class which Aristotle characterizes as ἀργὰ μέρη and as μήτε ήθικὰ μήτε διανοητικά. The approach to comedy, by the introduction of scenes from common life, and that even in a burlesque manner, of which we have a striking example in the Alcestis of Euripides, seems to have been carried still further by Chaeremon; and it is probably for this reason that he is mentioned as a comic poet by Suidas, Eudocia, and the Scholiast on Arist. Rhet. iii. p. 69b. (For a further discussion of this point, see Meineke and Bartsch, as quoted below.) The question has been raised, whether Chaeremon's tragedies were intended for the stage. They certainly appear to tory. have been fair more descriptive and lyric than dramatic; and Aristotle mentions Chaeremon among the poets whom he calls ἀναγνωστικοί. (Rhet. 3.12.2.) But there appears to be no reason for believing that at this period dramas were written without the intention of bringing them on the stage, though it often happened, in fact, that they were not represented; nor does the passage of Aristotle refer to anything more than the comparative fitness of some dramas for acting and of others for reading. It is by no means improbable that the plays of Chaeremon were never actually represented. There is no mention of his name in the διδασκαλίαι. The following are the plays of Chaeremon of which fragments are preserved: Ἀλφεσίβοια, Ἀχιλλεὺς θερσιτοκτόνος or Θερσίτης (a title which seems to imply a satyric drama, if not one approaching still nearer to a comedy), Διόνυσος, Θυέστης, Ἰώ, Μινύαι, Ὀδυσσεὺς Τραυματίας, Οἰνεύς, and Κένταυρος. It is very doubtful whether the last was a tragedy at all, and indeed what sort of poem it was. Aristotle (Aristot. Poet. 1.12, or 9, ed. Ritter) calls it μικτὴν ῥαψφδίαν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν μέτρων (comp. 24.11, or6), and Athenaeus (xiii. p.608, e) says of it ὅπερ δρᾶμα πολύμετρόν ἐστι. The fragments of Chaeremon have been collected, with a dissertation on the poet, by H. Bartsch, 4to. Mogunt. 1843.
There are three epigrams ascribed to Chaeremon in the Greek Anthology (Brunck, Anal. 2.55; Jacobs, 2.56), two of which refer to the contest of the Spartans and Argives for Thyrea. (Hdt. 1.82.) The mention of Chaeremon in the Corona of Meleager also shews that he was an ancient poet. There seems, therefore, no reason to doubt that he was the same as the tragic poet. The third epigram refers to an unknown orator Eubulus, the son of Athenagoras.
(Welcker, Die Griech. Trag. &c. iii. pp. 1082-1095; Meineke, Hist. Crit. Com. Graec. pp. 517-521 ; Ritter, Annot. in Arist. Poet. p. 87; Heeren, De Chaeremone Trag. Vet. Graec.; Jacobs, Additamenta Animadv. in Athen. p. 325, &c.; Bartsch, De Chaeremone Poeta Tragico.)
2. Of Alexandria, a Stoic philosopher and grammarian, and an historical writer, was the chief librarian of the Alexandrian library, or at least of that part of it which was kept in the temple of Serapis. He is called ἱερογραμματεύς, that is, keeper and expounder of the sacred books. (Tzetz. in Hom. Il. p. 123. 11, 28, p. 146. 16; Euseb. Praep. Evang. 5.10.) He was the teacher of Dionysius of Alexandria, who succeeded him, and and who flourished from the time of Nero to that of Trajan. (Suid. s. v. Διονύσιος Ἀλεξανδρεύς.) This fixes his date to the first half of the first century after Christ; and this is confirmed by the mention of him in connexion with Cornutus. (Suid. s. v. Ὠριγένης; Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 6.1.9.) He accompanied Aelius Gallus in his expedition up Egypt [Gallus, Aelius], and made great professions of his astronomical knowledge, but incurred much ridicule on account of his ignorance (Strab. xvii. p.806): but the suspicion of Fabricius, that this account refers to a different person, is perhaps not altogether groundless. (Bibl. Graec. iii. p. 546.) He was afterwards called to Rome, and became the preceptor of Nero, in conjunction with Alexander of Aegae. (Suid. s. v. Ἀλέξανδρος Αἰγαῖος.) Works 1. History of Egypt
His chief work was a history of Egypt, which embraced both its sacred and profane history. An interesting fragment respecting the Egyptian priests is preserved by Porphyry (de Abstinent. 4.6) and Jerome (c. Jovinianum, ii.). 2. On Hieroglyphics (ἱερογλυφικά)
He also wrote On Hieroglyphics (ἱερογλυφικά), (Suid. s. v. Ἱερογλυφικά and Χαιρήμων). 3. On Comets (περὶ κομητῶν)
Origen. c. Cels. 1.59: perhaps in Seneca, Quaest. Nat. 7.5, we should read Chaeremon for Charimander; but this is not certain, for Charimander is mentioned by Pappus, lib. vii. p. 247). 4. A grammatical work, περὶ συνδέσμων.
This is quoted by Apollonius. (Bekker, Anecdot. Graec. 2.28, p. 515. 15.) Assessment
As an historian, Chaeremon is charged by Josephus with wilful falsehood (c. Apion. cc. 32, 33). This charge seems to be not unfounded, for, besides the proofs of it alleged by Josephus, we are informed by Tzetzes ( Chil. 5.6), that Chaeremon stated that the phoenix lived 7000 years !
Of his philosophical views we only know that he was a Stoic, and that he was the leader of that party which explained the Egyptian religious system as a mere allegory of the worship of nature, as displayed in the visible world (ὁρώμενοι κόσμοι) in opposition to the views of Iamblichus. His works were studied by Origen. (Suid. s. v. Ὠριγένης; Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 6.19.) Martial (11.56) wrote an epigram upon him. Further Information
Ionsius, de Script. Hist. Philos. p. 208; Brucker, Hist. Crit. Phil. ii. p. 543, &c.; Kruger, Hist. Philos. Ant. p. 407; Vossius. de Hist. Graec. pp. 209, 210, ed. Westermann. [P.S]
(Χαιρήμων). A Greek tragedian, who flourished at Athens about B.C. 380. His style was smooth and picturesque, but his plays were artificial, and better adapted for reading than for performance. A few fragments of them remain, which show some imaginative power (Arist. Poet. i. 9). Ed. by Bartsch (Mainz, 1843).
- Paus. 6.3.1