Castor of Rhodes
Introduction '''Castor of Rhodes''' (), also known as '''Castor of Massalia''' or '''Castor of Galatia''' according to the ''Suda'', or as '''Castor the Annalist''', was a Greek grammarian and rhetorician. He was surnamed Philoromaeus (Φιλορώμαιος, meaning Lover of Rome) and is usually believed to have lived about the time of Cicero and Julius Caesar.
Background Castor is frequently referred to as an authority in historical matters. A partiality to the Romans is suggested by the surname ''Philoromaeus'', and may have been evident in a work mentioned by Plutarch as comparing the institutions of Rome with those of Pythagoras.The ''Suda'' describes the grammarian and rhetorician Castor as a son-in-law of the Galatian king Deiotarus (whom it calls a Roman senator), who afterwards put both Castor and his wife to death because Castor had brought charges against him before Caesar, evidently alluding to the affair in which Cicero defended Deiotarus. This appears to be the same Castor, mentioned by Strabo, who was surnamed ''Saecondarius'', was a son-in-law of Deiotarus, and was put to death by him. When Cicero spoke for Deiotarus, the Castor who brought Deiotarus into peril is expressly called a grandson of that king, and was yet a young man at the time (44 BC).It is however uncertain if this was the same Castor as the rhetorician, Castor of Rhodes. One of the works of Castor is referred to in the ''Bibliotheke'' formerly ascribed to Apollodorus of Athens, who died sometime around 140 BC. Because of this circumstance, one conclusion is that the rhetorician Castor must have lived at or before the time of Apollodorus, around 150 BC, and thus had no connection with the Deiotarus for whom Cicero spoke. Another common conclusion, which assumes Castor of Rhodes really was contemporary with Caesar and Cicero, is that ''Bibliotheke'' could not have been written by Apollodorus, hence the appellation "Pseudo-Apollodorus" for this work.
Works According to the Suda, Castor composed the following works:*''Anagraphe ton Thalassokratesanton'' ("Record of Thalassocrasies") in two books. *''Chronika Agnoemat''a ("Chronological Errors") which is also referred to by the ''Bibliotheca''. *''Peri Epicheirematon'' ("On Arguments or Adventures"), in nine books. *''Peri Peithous'' ("On Persuasion"), in two books. *''Peri tou Neilou'' ("On the Nile"). *''Techne Rhetorike'' ("Rhetorical Art")*''Chronologia'' or ''Chronika'', which is referred to several times by Eusebius of Cesarea.
References
Sources *