Philosophical Biography in the Hellenistic Period.

Hellenistic biography has a rather negative reputation in modern historiographical research. It is usually considered mere gossip, sensationalism or even downright fiction. Biographies of philosophers are often said to have been written in order to discredit rival philosophical schools, but this judgment is too one-sided. In fact, the method and literary goals varied considerably from one biographer to another. Like most Hellenistic prose literature, these biographies only survive in fragments. This research on these fragmentary biographers ties in with the international project of Die Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker Continued IV. It combines a literary, philological, historical and philosophical analysis, which will lead to a more balanced assessment of Hellenistic biography.

Keywords:philosophy, Die Fragmente der Griechischen Historike, Biography, Hellenistic, fragments

Disciplines:History