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Aristander


Aristander of Telmessos (Greek: Αρίστανδρος ο Τελμησσεύς; born ca. 380 BCE, fl. 2nd half of 4th century BCE), a Greek from Caria, was Alexander the Great's favorite seer. Aristander was already in Philip's entourage in 357/6, when he correctly interpreted a dream as revealing Olympias' pregnancy. The ancient sources place him interpreting omens from the conqueror's birth to his death. Although details are variously given, and some incidents are fictitious, Aristander was clearly an influential presence during Alexander's campaigns, and played an important role in uplifting the morale of the Macedonian army. There are indications he wrote divinatory works, either before, during or after the expedition, although it is also possible these works were spuriously attributed.

(A represents Arrian, P Plutarch, C Curtius, D Diodorus, J Justin, S Strabo, Iter. the Itinerarium Alexandri. Passages in which Aristander is mentioned by name are marked with an asterisk.)

Writings by Aristander are attested by: Pliny the Elder (Natural History 17); Artemidorus (Interpretation of Dreams 1.31, 4.23-24); Origen (Contra Celsum 6.8.10); see Lucian (citation missing). It is possible that Aristander's writings were, instead, a product of an Aristandrian "school." Aristander's home town, Telmessus in Caria (modern Fethiye), was a proverbial font of seers. There may be some connection between the two items of "Successor Propaganda" (18–19, favoring Lysimachus and Ptolemy) and the rule of Ptolemy I Epigone as dynast in Telmessos. Ptolemy as the son of Lysimachus inherited his father's claims, but eventually made peace with Ptolemy III Euergetes and the Ptolemaic dynasty.


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