Craterus (historian)

Craterus (Greek: Κρατερός; 321 – c. 263 BC) was a Macedonian historian. Although the identification is not confirmed by any source, he was probably the son of Alexander the Great's general Craterus and his wife Phila. By his mother's third marriage he became the stepson of Demetrius Poliorcetes and the half-brother of Antigonus II Gonatas. When Antigonus became king of Macedon, Craterus was made governor of Corinth and Chalcis. He loyally ruled Corinth from 280 BC until his death. Craterus had a son named Alexander who achieved the governorship of Corinth and Euboea after his death, but around 253 BC resolved to challenge the Macedonian supremacy and seek independence as a tyrant.

As a historian Craterus distinguished himself as a diligent compiler of documents relating to the history of Attica. He made a collection of Attic inscriptions, containing decrees of the people (psephismaton synagoge) and out of them he seems to have constructed a diplomatic history of Athens. This work is frequently referred to by Harpocration and Stephanus of Byzantium, the latter of whom s. v. Nymphaion quotes the ninth book of it.

With the exception of the statements contained in these and other passages, the work of Craterus is lost.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Craterus 1". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
• Craterus and the Use of Inscriptions in Ancient Scholarship by Carolyn Higbie JSTOR 284424