Praxiphanes

Praxiphanes ( _el. Πραξιφάνες) a Peripatetic philosopher, was a native of Mytilene, who lived a long time in Rhodes. [Algra, K., "The Cambridge History of Hellenistic Philosophy". Page 36. Cambridge University Press. (1999). Cf. Clement of Alexandria, i.; Strabo, xiv.] He lived in the time of Demetrius Poliorcetes and Ptolemy I Soter, and was a pupil of Theophrastus, about 322 BC. [Proclus, i. "in Timaeum"; John Tzetzes, "ad Hesiod. Op. et Dies", 1.] He subsequently opened a school himself, in which Epicurus is said to have been one of his pupils. [Diogenes Laërtius, x. 13] Praxiphanes paid special attention to grammatical studies, and is hence named along with Aristotle as the founder and creator of the science of grammar. [Clement of Alexandria, i.] Of the writings of Praxiphanes, which appear to have been numerous, two are especially mentioned, a Dialogue ποιητῶν [Diogenes Laërtius, iii. 8] in which Plato and Isocrates were the speakers, and an historical work cited by Marcellinus in his Life of Thucydides [Marcellinus, "Thucydides", §29] under the title of Περὶ ίστορίας.

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