Heraclides called Lembus

Abstract

The Hellenistic statesman, scholar and historian Heraclides Lembus is a highly ambiguous and enigmatic figure. One of the most intriguing things is his nickname Λέμβος. According to Diogenes Laertius, it was given to him for his work Λεμβευτικὸς λόγος (D.L. V, 94). However, the meaning of Heraclides’ nickname is difficult to understand, since Diogenes’ testimony is the only one that mentions this work, and the word λεμβευτικός itself is a hapax. The article carefully examines all available evidence about the life and writings of Heraclides Lembus, using all relevant materials and parallels. As a result, the author comes to the conclusion that the title Λεμβευτικὸς λόγος did not have a figurative meaning, as has often been thought. Instead, the work in question was most likely dedicated to the ordinary λέμβος-sailing. As for Heraclides’ nickname, it was not so much due to the writing of epitomes, as some scholars still believe, but to Heraclides’ interest in secondary literature. Heraclides Lembus was probably the first to epitomize a secondhand rather than primary sources – a fact reflected in his remarkable nickname.