Hecataeus of Abdera
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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Hecataeus of Abdera
Lived in the fourth and third centuries B.C. Ancient Greek historian who lived in Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy I.
Hecataeus of Abdera was the author of several works, including On the Hyperboreans, fragments of which have been preserved; On the Poetry of Homer and Hesiod, which has not been preserved; and History of Egypt, fragments of which remain. Hecataeus’ History of Egypt is an original philosophical Utopia, in which he describes a harmonious state headed by a benevolent king and priests who are guardians of wise laws. Hecataeus extolled the significance of Egyptian culture and declared that all ancient culture had its source in Egypt.
REFERENCES
Müller, C. Fragmenta historicorum graecorum, vol. 2. Paris, 1848. Pages 386-88.In Russian translation:
In the collection A. O. Makovel’skii, “Gekatei iz Abdery.” Izv. Azerbaidzhanskogo un-ta, 1927, vols. 8-10, pp. 51-55.
I. A. STUCHEVSKII
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.