Démétrios de Scepsis

See also: Démétrios

Démétrios de Scepsis (in Greek old Δημήτριος ὀ Σκήψιος) is a Greek Géographe of the IIème front century J-C. It is originating in Scepsis, village located in Troade (current Turkey) near the city of Ilion, supposed site of the town of Troy. In its work, it is probably influenced by the research undertaken in the Library of Pergame.

It is mainly known through its work entitled the Disposition of the forces Troyennes (ὁ Τρωικὸς διάκοσμος). It is a work in which Démétrios gave a vast geographical comment relative to certain places mentioned in the Iliade , one of the famous Homeric poems. The passage which held its attention finds with song 2 of the Iliade and names Catalog of Troyens ( It . 2,816-877).

As for the contents, the fragments of Démétrios de Scepsis give information on the real relief in which the Homeric names were localized. It is an important source for ancient descriptions of the places in question. The text gives, moreover, of the information on the ancient monuments, of the historical, ethnographic anecdotes even mythological. It also provides some elements of a literary comment and informs us about ancient interpretations of the Homeric texts. Its scholarship and the first hand knowledge of the places which it describes enabled him to become an authority impossible to circumvent for Troade. It was used abundantly by Strabon for book 13 of its Géographie devoted to the description of Troade. Its work was also consulted by Athénée for the drafting of its work the Deipnosophistes .

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