Praxiphanes
Πραξιφάνης
(Πραξιφάνης).
1. A Peripatetic philosopher, was a native either of Mytilene (Clem. Alex. i. p. 365, ed. Potter), or of Rhodes (Strab. xiv. p.655). He lived in the time of Demetrius Poliorcetes and Ptolemy Lagi, and was a pupil of Theophrastus, about B. C. 322 (Proclus, i. in Timaeum; 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 (Diog. Laet. 10.13). Praxiphanes paid especial attention to grammatical studies, and is hence named along with Aristotle as the founder and creator of the science of grammar (Clemens Alex. l.c.; Bekker, Anecdot. ii. p. 229, where Πραξιφάνους should be read instead of (Ἐπιφάνους).
Works
Of the writings of Praxiphanes. which appear to have been numerous, two are especially mentioned:
A Dialogue Περὶ ποιητῶν
(D. L. 3.8.) In this work Plato and Isocrates were the speakers. This is perhaps preserved in the book Περὶ ποιημάτων discovered at Pompeii.
An historical work
Cited by Marcellinus in his Life of Thucydides (§ 29) under the title of Περὶ ἱστορίας
Further Information
For further particulars, see Preller, Disputatio de Praxiphane Peripatetico inter antiquissimos granmaticos nobili, Dorp. 1842.)
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.