Philostratus of Lemnos
Philostratus of Lemnos (c. 190 – c. 230 AD), also known as Philostratus the Elder to distinguish him from Philostratus the Younger who was also from Lemnos, was a Greek sophist of the Roman imperial period.
Also recorded as Philostratus the Elder
Philostratus of Lemnos

Pgbandion · Self-scanned · Public domain
- Born
- 190 · Lemnos.
- Died
- 230 · Lemnos.
- Occupation
- writer · orator · sophist
- Movements
- sophism
- Known for
- Imagines
- Languages
- Ancient Greek
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Philostratus of Lemnos (c. 190 – c. 230 AD), also known as Philostratus the Elder to distinguish him from Philostratus the Younger who was also from Lemnos, was a Greek sophist of the Roman imperial period.
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He was probably a nephew of the sophist Philostratus of Athens, and is credited with two books formerly attributed to his uncle.
Eikones (Εἰκόνες, Images or Imagines) is ostensibly a description of 64 pictures in a Neapolitan gallery. Goethe, Welcker, Brunn, E. Bertrand and Helbig, among others, have held that the descriptions are of actually existing works of art, while Heyne and Friederichs deny this. In any case they are interesting as showing the way in which ancient artists treated mythological and other subjects, and are written with artistic knowledge and in attractive language. A second series of Imagines was produced by his grandson. Philostratus the Younger certainly wrote the 2nd series of Eikones and in the foreword, thanked Philostratus the Elder for the 1st series so eventually attributed to him instead of Philostratus of Athens as previously attributed. Heroicus, or On Heroes, is a popular disquisition on the heroes of the Trojan War. Written in the form of a conversation between a Thracian vine-dresser on the shore of the Hellespont and a Phoenician merchant who derives his knowledge from the hero Protesilaus, Palamedes is exalted at the expense of Odysseus, and Homer's unfairness to him is attacked. It has been suggested that Philostratus is here describing a series of heroic paintings in the palace of Julia Domna. The work Heroicus traditionally attributed to Philostratus of Athens, but is now more commonly attributed to this Philostratus.

Hephaistos et le Scamandre (Une galerie de soixante-quatre tableaux, p. 211). D'après une miniature de l' w:fr:Iliade ambrosienne.
Image imitated from a miniature in the. · This file comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID bpt6k3412641f

Image extraite de Gallica (https: gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k3412641f/f9.item.zoom)
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reference work
- “Philostratus of Lemnos”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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- Wikidata, structured authority record Q691292: Philostratus of Lemnos
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These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 3
- Côté, Dominique. "La figure d’Eschine dans les Vies des sophistes de Philostrate", Cahiers des études anciennes 42 (2005), p. 389-420.
- Côté, Dominique. "Les deux sophistiques de Philostrate", Rhetorica 24 (2006), 1-35.
- Philostratus. 21. 445.
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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 15 August 2026.
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39,296 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- PhilochorusAuthor
- PhilodemusAuthor
- PhilolausAuthor
- PhilostratusAuthor
- Philostratus the YoungerAuthor
- PhilotasAuthor
- Philothée O'NeddyAuthor
- Philotheus I of ConstantinopleAuthor
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