Oppian of Apamea

Oppian of Apamea was a Greek didactic poet, probably of the early third century AD, distinct from Oppian of Cilicia despite the shared name. He was from Apamea in Syria.

His Cynegetica (On Hunting) is a didactic poem in four books of hexameters covering the nature of hunting dogs, horses, and wild animals, and the techniques used to hunt them. The poem describes lions, bears, leopards, hares, deer, and many other creatures with a mixture of observation and mythology. The narrative of the lion hunt and the description of the bereaved lioness searching for her cubs are among the most powerful passages in ancient didactic poetry.

The Cynegetica was often confused with the Halieutica of the other Oppian in antiquity. The Syrian Oppian writes in a style influenced by Nonnus and the ornate tradition of late Greek hexameter poetry.