Aristander of Telmessus

From WCD

Aristander of Telmessus was Alexander's favorite seer. He appears regularly in the sources from before Alexander's birth to shortly after his death. During Alexander's campaign Aristander provided a steady stream of almost unfailingly positive interpretations. He is thought to have composed one or more works, but only meagre fragments have survived.

Life of Aristander

Very little is known about Aristander's life. He is universally described as being from Telmessus, probably Telmessus in Lycia (modern Fethiye), which was famed throughout antiquity for its diviners. There was also a lesser-known Telmessus in Caria, on the peninsula of Halicarnassus. This Telmessus was also known for its diviners, and may have been an "offshoot" from the Lycian Telmessus, perhaps at the behest of one of the Hecatomnid rullers of Caria. If this weren't confusing enough, the Lycian Telmessus lay along the border between Caria and Lycia and was sometimes described as "Carian."

That Aristander was at the court of Philip before Alexander's birth is attested by Plutarch and (it seems) Ephorus (for all source citations see below). He appears in Alexander's company shortly before the Asian expedition, and frequently thereafter. Aristander "disappears" from the sources in 327 or 328, his last prophecies being before the death of Cleitus the Black and the discovery of petroleum at the Oxus. Berve conjectured that he had died. Two later appearances, one in India and another at Alexander's death, are self-evident propaganda for Lysimachus and Ptolemy, and probably fictitious. This need not, however, entirely negate their usefulness. Fictitious stories were unlikely to include bald factual errors. If so, Aristander may have seen both Alexander's birth and his death.

Aristander's writings

Writings by Aristander are attested in Pliny the Elder (Natural History 17), Artemidorus (Interpretation of Dreams 1.31, 4.23-24), Origen (Contra Celsum 6.8.10); see also ps-Lucian Philopatris 21, Clement of Alexandria, Stromata I 21, p. 82 7 St. It is also conceivable that Aristander's writings were a product of an Aristandrian "school" or entirely pseudepigraphal.

Aristander's home town, Telmessus in Caria (modern Fethiye), was a proverbial font of seers. There may be some connection between the two items of "Successor Propaganda" (18–19, favoring Lysimachus and Ptolemy) and the rule of Ptolemy the Son of Lysimachus as dynast in Telmessus. Ptolemy the son of Lysimachus inherited his father's claims, but eventually made peace with the Ptolemy III of Egypt and the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Aristander in the Sources

Inclusion and exclusion

Aristander is a curiously insubstantial presence in the sources. Very frequently a number of sources will mention one of his predictions, but only one will mention Arisander by name; the others will ascribe the prediction to a nameless diviner or (more commonly) diviners, to Egyptian, Chaldaean or Babylonian religious specialists, or even to Alexander himself. The "removal" of Aristander can be observed directly in the Itinerarium Alexandri 49, which (at 49) copies Arrian quite slavishly but transfers Aristander's prophecy of Alexandria's future wealth to Alexander himself. Although confirmation is impossible, logic suggests that, when only one source mentions his name, Aristander was in fact involved. A named diviner is to be preferred to a nameless one, and the exotic diviners of Curtius and the Alexander Romance are too easily traced to these author's rhetorical interests. It is therefore also highly probable that Aristander lurks behind many of the sources' anonymous diviners.

At the same time as Aristander appears to have been removed he was also certainly added. Two stories (18, 19) bear the unmistakable characteristics of Successor propaganda, for Ptolemy and Lysimachus respectively. Some doubt may also attach to Aristander's first appearance, predicting a "lion-like" son to Philip. The incident is related by Ephorus (FGrH 70 F 217) apud Tertullian, De anima) who ascribes the prophecy to Aristodemus vel Aristophon. Plutarch (Alex. 2.4) mentions Aristander alone in this connection, but if he was drawing on Ephorus and the phrase Aristodemus vel Aristophon is not confusion introduced between Ephorus and Tertullian, Plutarch himself may have eliminated the ambiguity. On balance, however, Aristander is a likely participant.

Checklist of appearances

The following is taken from Wikipedia's entry "Aristander," written by Tim Spalding, the original author of this WCD entry. It was copied directly from Spalding's CAMWS talk on Aristander and has independent copyright.

(A represents Arrian, P Plutarch, C Curtius, D Diodorus Siculus, J Justin, S Strabo, Iter. the Itinerarium Alexandri. Passages in which Aristander is mentioned by name are marked with an asterisk.)

1. Philip dreams he sealed up the womb of his wife Olympias, and that the seal bore a lion device. Aristander interprets the dream optimistically. (*P 2.2–3; Tertullian, De Anima = Ephorus FGrH 70 217)
2. Statue of Orpheus in Pieria sweats. Aristander interprets optimistically. (*A 1.11.1–2; *P 14.5; Iter. 17; Ps-Calisthenes 1.42)
3. Army comes across a fallen statue of Ariobarzanes, former satrap of Phrygia. The seer “Alexander” [Aristander?] interprets predicts the victory at the Granicus. (D 17.17.6–7)
4. An insistent swallow bothers the drowsing Alexander at Halicarnassus. Aristander interprets the event to mean that a plot will be revealed to Alexander. (*A 1.25.6–8)
5. Macedonian soldiers engaged in the siege of Tyre discover that some of the ration bread is “bloody.” Aristander forecasts that Tyre will be taken (because the bread is bloody on the inside). (*C 4.2.14; 17.41.7)
6. Alexander dreams that Heracles invited him into Tyre. Aristander interprets this to mean that the city will be captured, but with Herculean effort. (*A 2.18.1, C 4.2.17)
7. Alexander, besieging Tyre, dreams about a mocking satyr. In Artemidorus Aristander and in P “seers” play with words (“sa tyros”="tyre is thine") to decide that Alexander will take the city. In Ps-Calisthenes the Satyr also gives him a cheese (“tyros”) to trample. (Artemidorus, Interpretation of Dreams 4.23–24; P 24.3–5; Ps-Calisthenes 1.32; Artemidorus incident unnoticed by Jacoby)
8. Aristander, examining entrails, declares that Tyre will be taken that month, even though it is the last day. Alexander decrees a two day change in the calendar, but then takes the city the same day. (*P 25.1–2)
9. During the siege of Gaza, a bird drops something on Alexander and is caught. Aristander predicts personal danger for Alexander that day, and is proven right. (*A 2.26.4–27.2; *C 4.6.10–13; *P 25.3–4; Iter. 46–7)
10. Foundation of Alexandria. Alexander outlines city with barley meal. In P, S, Itiner. and Frag. Sab. birds descend upon it. Aristander projects a prosperous future. (*A 3.1.5–3.2.2; C 4.8.6; P 26.5–6; S 17.1.6; Itiner. 49; FGrH 151=Frag. Sab. 11; others)
11. Eclipse occurs 12 days before the Battle of Gaugamela. Aristander (in A) or “Egyptian soothsayers” (in C) interpret the omen favorably. (*A 3.7.6; C 4.10.2–7; see P 31.4)
12. Alexander conducts sacrifices with Aristander the night before Gaugamela. (*C 4.13.14–16; *P 31.4; FGrH 148=Pap. Oxyrch. 1798)
13. Aristander seen among Alexander’s soldiers at Gaugamela. Points out an eagle directly above Alexander’s head. (*C 4.15.26–27; *P 33.1–2)
14. Aristander sacrifices before crossing the Tanais. He reports the omens are unfavorable. He is subsequently asked to sacrifice again and (in A) proclaims another unfavorable omen or (in C) changes his mind. C relates at length how Alexander rebukes Aristander for failing to report the first forecast directly to the king. (*A 4.4.3; 4.4.9, *C 7.7.8–9; 7.722–29, Itiner. 85)
15. Cleitus interrupts a sacrifice to sample some fruit, but the sheep follow him. Alexander orders Aristander and “Cleomantis the Spartan” to interpret the event. Both interpret the event pessimistically. (*P 50.2–4)
16. Alexander, having killed Cleitus, is consoled by Aristander, who “reminds” him of his prophecy (number 14). Alexander is cheered. (*P 52.1; see A 4.9.5)
17. Petroleum is discovered. Aristander predicts that the oil portends success after toil. (*A 4.15.7–8, C 7.10.4; P 57.3; S 9.7.3; Athen. 42 f; Itiner. 97)
18. Lysimachus blunders into the back of Alexander’s spear. Alexander staunches the wound with his diadem. The bloody diadem impels Aristander to predict a troubled reign for Lysimachus. J has event take place in India. (*Appian, Syriaca 64; J 15.3.11–14)
19. Aristander scolds Macedonians for not dealing with Alexander’s body, and predicts a bright future for the city that holds it. (*Aelian Varia Historia 12.64)

From Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology

Aristander (Gk. Aristandros) the most celebrated soothsayer of Alexander the Great. He survived the king. (Arrian, Anab. 3.2, 4.4, &c.; Curt. 4.2, 4.6, 4.13, 4.15, 7.7; Plut. Alex. 25; Aelian V. H. 12.64; Artemid. 1.31, 4.24.) The work of Aristander on prodigies, which is referred to by Pliny the Elder (H. N. 17.25. s. 38; Elenchus, lib. viii. x. xiv. xv. xviii.) and Lucian (Philopat. c. 21), was probably written by the soothsayer of Alexander.

See scanned version (http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0299.html)

References

• Berve no. 117
• Darius Del Corno, Graecorum de re Onirocritica Scriptorum Reliquiae (1969) no. 2
• William Steven Grunewalt, “A Macedonian Mantis” Ancient World 5 (1982)
• C. A. Robinson “The Seer Aristander” American Journal of Philology 50 (1929)
• Timothy Spalding, "Aristander the Prophet and the Alexander Historians" (Presentation at the 1997 meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South)
• Pothos.org: Aristander (http://www.pothos.org/alexander.asp?paraID=128&keyword_id=9&title=Aristander) biography by Marcus Pailing
• Wikipedia: Aristander (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristander) written by Tim Spalding (and barely changed)