Philochorus of Athens was a historian and religious expert who lived during the 3rd century BCE, a period of Macedonian rule. A member of a priestly clan associated with the Eleusinian Mysteries, he served Athens as an official interpreter of religious law and omens. According to ancient reports, he was executed around 260 BCE by the Macedonian king Antigonus II Gonatas for his political sympathies toward the rival Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt.
He was a prolific writer, though none of his works survive intact and are known only through quotations by later authors. His most important work was the Atthis, a comprehensive history of Athens and the Attic region in at least seventeen books. He also wrote specialized studies on topics like divination, sacrifices, festivals, and religious mysteries.
Philochorus is the last of the "Atthidographers," the writers of local Athenian history. His Atthis became the standard authoritative reference on Athenian antiquities, myth, and institutions for later scholars. The surviving fragments of his work are the evidence for Athenian chronology, political history, and religious practices.
Available Works
Also published as PDF.