Flavius Philostratus
The biographer of Apollonius
c. AD 170 – c. AD 247
Flavius Philostratus was born around 170 AD, probably in Lemnos, though he is called 'the Athenian' after his adopted city. He was a prominent member of the literary circle of Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus.
His most famous work is the Life of Apollonius of Tyana, a lengthy biography of the first-century AD Pythagorean sage and wonder-worker. The work is part philosophy, part travel narrative, and part hagiography. Its relationship to the Christian gospels has been debated since antiquity.
The Lives of the Sophists established the term 'Second Sophistic' for the rhetorical culture of the Roman Empire. The Heroicus is a dialogue about the Trojan heroes. The Gymnasticus discusses athletic training. Philostratus is the essential source for the cultural life of the Greek-speaking elite under the Severan dynasty.
A treatise on athletics and physical training, covering diet, exercise, and the decline of Greek gymnastics.
Eight books on the life of the miracle-working sage Apollonius of Tyana, who travelled the world from Spain to India teaching philosophy. Part biograp...
Biographies of the Greek sophists — professional orators and teachers of rhetoric from the fifth century BC to the Roman empire. The primary source fo...