Archestratus of Gela
Archestratus (Archestratos) was an ancient Greek poet of Gela, Magna Graecia, in Sicily, who wrote some time in the mid 4th century BCE, and was known as "the Daedalus of tasty dishes". His humorous didactic poem Hedypatheia ('Life of Luxury'), written in hexameters but known only from quotations, advises a gastronomic reader on where to find the best food in the Mediterranean world. The writer, who was styled in antiquity the Hesiod or Theognis of gluttons, parodies the pithy style of older gnomic poets; most of his attention is given to fish, although some fragments refer to appetizers, and there was also a section on wine.
Also recorded as Archestratos
Archestratus of Gela
Giuseppe Emanuele Ortolani · Biografia degli uomini illustri della Sicilia, ornata de' loro rispettivi ritratti · Public domain
- Name
- Archestratus of Gela
- Born
- c. 4th century BCE
- Birthplace
- Gela
- Died
- c. 330 BCE
- Occupation
- Poet
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Documentary summary
Archestratus (Archestratos) was an ancient Greek poet of Gela, Magna Graecia, in Sicily, who wrote some time in the mid 4th century BCE, and was known as "the Daedalus of tasty dishes". His humorous didactic poem Hedypatheia ('Life of Luxury'), written in hexameters but known only from quotations, advises a gastronomic reader on where to find the best food in the Mediterranean world. The writer, who was styled in antiquity the Hesiod or Theognis of gluttons, parodies the pithy style of older gnomic poets; most of his attention is given to fish, although some fragments refer to appetizers, and there was also a section on wine.
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Biography
Biography
His poem had a certain notoriety among readers in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE: it was referred to by the comic poet Antiphanes, by Lynceus of Samos and by the philosophers Aristotle, Chrysippus and Clearchus of Soli. In nearly every case these references are disparaging, implying that Archestratus's poem—like the sex manual by Philaenis—was likely to corrupt its readers. This attitude is exemplified in the Deipnosophistae with citations of Chrysippus: Sixty-two fragments from Archestratus's poem (including two doubtful items) survive, all via quotation by Athenaeus in the Deipnosophistae. The poem was translated or imitated in Latin by Ennius, a work that has not survived. The standard edition of the fragments, with commentary and translation, is by Olson and Sens (2000).
Busto di Archestrato da Gela, opera di Roberto Tascone
Roberto Tascone · Scultura
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Archestratus of Gela • Native Name — Ἀρχέστρατος • Born — c. 4th century BCE • Birthplace — Gela • Died — c. 330 BCE • Occupation — Poet • Notable Works — Hedypatheia (Life of Luxury)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
330
Archestratus of Gela died.
350
Archestratus of Gela born.
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scholarly publication
- Archestratus, of Gela, poet, mid-4th cent. BCE, Oxford Classical Dictionary, 2015
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2015
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q210507: Archestratus of Gela
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
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Wikidata, structured authority record Q210507: Archestratus of GelaWikimedia Foundation
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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