Apollonius of Rhodes

We learn from two lives transmitted with the manuscripts of the Argonautica that Apollonius of Rhodes lived at the time of the Ptolemies and was a pupil of Callimachus. ¹ POxy 1241 (Col. 2), a second century A.D. list of librarians of the Royal Library at Alexandria, the two lives and an entry in the Suda Lexicon (No. 3419 Adler Vol. 1 1928 307) say Apollonius was from Alexandria itself, although two second-century A.D. notices indicate Naucratis. Apollonius’ origins are further complicated in that he composed and recited the Argonautica in public in his youth, but it was condemned. The first life says he went to Rhodes where he revised his poem and recited it again, but this time to great applause. Apollonius then called himself a Rhodian. The second life adds he returned to Alexandria where he again recited his poem, but this time, with great success. He was, therefore, honored with the libraries of the Museum and was buried with Callimachus. If it is not entirely certain whether Apollonius came from Alexandria, Naucratis or Rhodes, just as the previous authors who identified the Hyperboreans with Celts, or the Hyperborean lands with Celtic ones, he did come from outside mainland Greece, from one or more areas whose Greek speaking population considered themselves to be the true heirs of classical Greek culture.