Ister

(Ἴστρος), or Istrus.

1. A Greek historian, who is sometimes called a native of Cyrene, sometimes of Macedonia, and sometimes of Paphus, in the island of Cyprus. (Suid. s. v. Ἴστρος.) These contradictory statements are reconciled by Siebelis, in the work cited blow, by the supposition that Ister was born at Cyrene, that thence he proceeded with Callimachus to Alexandria, and afterwards lived for some time at Paphus, which was subject to the kings of Egypt. (Comp. Plut. Quaest. Graec. 43, who calls him an Alexandrian.)

Ister is said to have been at first a slave of Callimachus, and afterwards his friend, and this circumstance determines the age of Istrus, who accordingly lived in the reign of Ptolemy Euergetes, i. e. between about B. C. 250 and 220. Polemon, who was either his contemporary or lived very shortly after him, wrote against Ister. Works

Ister was the author of a considerable number of works, all of which are lost, with the exception of some fragments. The most important among them was,-- 1. an Atthis (Ἀτθίς)

Of which the sixteenth book is mentioned by Harpocration (s. v. τραπεζοφόρος; comp. s. v. ἐπενεγκεῖν.) This work is often referred to under different titles, such as Ἀττικά (Athen. 3.74, xiii. p. 557; Plut. Thes. 33) τὰ τῆς συναγωγῆς, Ἀττικαὶ συναγωγαί, συναγωγή, Ἄτακτα, and others. 2. Αἱ Ἀπόλλωνος ἐπιφανείαι

Αἱ Ἀπόλλωνος ἐπιφανείαι, in which he treated of a variety of religious rites. (Plut. de Mus. 14; Harpocrat. s. v. φαρμακός; Phot. Lex. s. v. Τριττύαν.) 3. Πτολεμαΐς

Πτολεμαΐς. Some consider this work on the Egyptian town of Ptolemais to have been in verse, but nothing certain can be said about it. (Athen. 10.478.) 4. Αἰγυπτίων ἀποικίαι

Αἰγυπτίων ἀποικίαι, or the colonies of the Egyptians. (Clem. Al. Strom. i. p. 322 ; Constantin. Porphyr. de Themat. i. p. 13.) 5. Ἀργολικά

Ἀργολικά, or a history of Argos. (Athen. 14.650; Steph. Byz. s. v. Ἀπία.) 6. Ἡλιακά

Ἡλιακά (Steph. Byz. s. v. Φύτειον; Schol. in Platon. p. 380, ed. Bekker; ad Pind. Ol. 6.55, 7.146.) 7. Συναγωγὴ τῶν Κρητικῶν Δυσιῶν

Συναγωγὴ τῶν Κρητικῶν Δυσιῶν. (Euseb. Praep. Evang. 4.16; Porphyr. de Abstin. 2.56.) 8. Περὶ ἰδιότητος ἄθλων

Περὶ ἰδιότητος ἄθλων. (Clem. Al. Strom. iii. p. 447.) 9. Μελοποιοί

Μελοποιοί. (Suid. s. v. Φρῦνις; Schol. ad Aristoph. Nub. 967; Anonym. Vit. Sophocl.) 10. Ὑπομνήματα

Ὑπομνήματα or commentaries. (Plut. Quaest. Graec. 43.) 11. Ἀττικαὶ λέξεις

Ἀττικαὶ λέξεις. (Eustath. ad Odyss. p. 1627.) Further Information

Suid. s. v. ἀμνόν; Phavorin. s. v. ἀρνειός; Hesych. s. v. ἀμάλλαι; Schol. Venet. ad Hiad. κ. 439.

2. A Greek grammarian of Calatis, on the Euxine, is mentioned only by Stephanus Byzantinus (s. v. Κάλατις), as the author of a beautiful work, περὶ τραγῳδίας, and it is not impossible that the anonymous author of the life of Sophocles may refer to him, and not to the author of the Atthis. The fragments of the works of the latter are collected by Siebelis, Fragm. Phanodemi, Demon., Clitodemi, et Istri, Lips. 1812, 8vo., and by C. and Th. Muller, Fragmenta Histor. Graec. p. 418, &c. [L.S]

ISTER [DANUBIUS]

(1) (Ἴστρος) and Danubius (Δανούβιος), also Danuvius. The greatest river in southeastern Europe; now the Danube, Donau. Its sources are at Donaueschingen near the Mons Abnoba, and after a long course through Vindelicia, Noricum, Pannonia, and Dacia, it separates into a delta of three branches and empties into the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea). Among its 400 tributaries are the Dravus (Drave), Savus (Save), Pathiseus or Tibiseus (Theiss?), and Margus (Morava). The early writers, such as Pindar, had only the vaguest notions about the sources of this stream, and even in later times it was supposed to empty into the Adriatic. Ister was said to be its Keltic name and Danubis its Thracian. The syllable Dan is that found in Rho-dan-us, Tan-aïs, Eri-dan-us, etc., and is said to mean “river.” The most ancient name of the stream was said to be Matoas. Some writers use Ister of the lower Danube, and Danubius of the upper from its source as far as Vindobona (Vienna). The total length of the river is 1740 miles.

(2) A Greek historian, at one time the slave of Callimachus (q.v.). He wrote, in the third century B.C., a number of works, of which an Atthis, or history of Attica, was especially important. The fragments are given in Müller's Frag. Hist. Graec. i. pp. 418-427.