Apollodorus

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Apollodorus was a common name in ancient Greece. This article deals with the historian and mythographer. For other men of the same name, including Apollodorus of Carystus and Apollodorus of Damascus, see Apollodorus (disambiguation).

Apollodorus (born c. 180 BC), sometimes anachronistically called Apollodorus of Athens, was a Greek writer most famous for a verse chronicle of Greek history from the fall of Troy in the 12th century BC to 144 BC. A pupil of the scholar Aristarchus of Samothrace, he left Alexandria around 146 BC for Pergamum and eventually settled in Athens.

Apollodorus' chronicle gave dates by referring to the archons of Athens. Most archons only held office for one year, allowing scholars to pin down the years to which Apollodorus was referring.

Apollodorus' other works include his essays On the Gods and on the Homeric Catalogue of Ships, used as a source by Strabo in his Geography. He also produced numerous critical and grammatical writings. The encyclopedia of Greek mythology, called Bibliotheke or Library, was traditionally attributed to him, but his authorship has been refuted by modern scholars.

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