Craterus was a Macedonian historian active in the late fourth to early third centuries BCE. He is distinct from the general of Alexander the Great who shared the same name. His identification as a Macedonian and a collector of documents is recorded, but no further biographical details survive.
His known work is the Synagōgē psēphismatōn, or "Collection of Decrees." This lost compilation of Athenian public decrees, arranged with historical commentary, survives only in fragments. It represents an early systematic use of epigraphical evidence.
Craterus is an early figure in documentary history. His methodology of assembling and analysing primary source inscriptions influenced later antiquarian research. His fragments, preserved through citation by authors like Plutarch, are a principal source of evidence for classical Athenian political and legal history.
Available Works
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