Onesicritus (Greek:Ὀνησίκριτος; c. 360 BC – c. 290 BC), aGreek historical writer and Cynic philosopher, who accompaniedAlexander the Great on his campaigns in Asia. He claimed to have been the commander of Alexander's fleet but was actually only a helmsman;Arrian andNearchus often criticize him for this. When he returned home, he wrote a history of Alexander's campaigns. He is frequently cited by later authors, who also criticize him for his inaccuracies.

He was a native ofAstypalaia,^[1] and it was probably to this island origin that he owed the nautical skills which would prove so advantageous to him. He was a disciple ofDiogenes of Sinope, theCynic philosopher.^[2]Diogenes Laërtius also calls him "Onesicritus ofAegina",^[3] and says that he came toAthens because his two adult sons, Androsthenes andPhiliscus, were attracted to the philosophy of Diogenes the Cynic, for which reason Onesicritus also became an ardent disciple. If so, he must have been already advanced in years when he joined the expedition of Alexander.^[4]

There is no known account of the circumstances which led him to accompany Alexander into Asia, nor in what capacity he attended on the conqueror; but during the expedition into India he was sent by the king to hold a conference with the Indian philosophers orGymnosophists, the details of which have been transmitted to us from his own account of the interview.^[5] It was Onesicritus, whom Alexander first sent to summonDandamis to his court. When later Onesicritus returned empty-handed with the reply of Dandamis, the King went to forest to visit Dandamis.^[6] When Alexander constructed his fleet on theHydaspes, he appointed Onesicritus to the important position of pilot of the king's ship, or chief pilot of the fleet (Greek:ἀρχικυβερνήτης). Onesicritus held this position not only during the descent of theIndus, but throughout the long and perilous voyage from the river to thePersian Gulf. Alexander was so satisfied with his work that, on his arrival atSusa, Onesicritus was rewarded with a crown of gold, at the same time asNearchus.^[7] YetArrian blames him for lack of judgment, and on one occasion expressly ascribes the safety of the fleet to the firmness of Nearchus in overruling his advice.^[8] We know nothing of his subsequent fortunes; but from an anecdote related byPlutarch^[9] it seems that he attached himself toLysimachus, and it was perhaps at the court of that monarch that he composed his historical work;^{[citation needed]} though, on the other hand, a passage ofLucian^[10] suggests that this work was begun during the lifetime of Alexander himself.

We learn fromDiogenes Laërtius^[11] that Onesicritus wrote a work about Alexander calledHow Alexander was Educated (Greek:Πῶς Ἀλέξανδρος Ἤχθη), imitating the style ofXenophon, though he fell short of him as a copy does of the original.^[12] It is most frequently cited in regard to the campaigns of Alexander in Asia, and for descriptions of the countries that he visited. Though an eye-witness of much that he described, it appears that he intermixed many fables and falsehoods with his narrative, so that he early fell into discredit as an authority.Strabo is especially severe upon him.^[13]Plutarch cites him as one of those who related the fable of the visit of theAmazons to Alexander, for which he was justly ridiculed byLysimachus,^[9] andArrian accuses him of falsely representing himself as the commander of the fleet, when he was in truth only the pilot.^[14]Aulus Gellius^[15] even associates him withAristeas of Proconnesus, and other purely fabulous writers. But it is clear that these censures are overcharged; and though some of the statements cited from him are certainly gross exaggerations,^[16] his work appears to have contained much valuable information concerning the remote countries for the first time laid open by the expedition of Alexander. In particular he was the first author that mentioned the island ofTaprobane,^[17] which is known today as Sri Lanka.

•   Laërtius, Diogenes (1925)."The Cynics: Onesicritus" .Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Vol. 2:6. Translated byHicks, Robert Drew (Two volume ed.). Loeb Classical Library.

Attribution

•   This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.{{cite encyclopedia}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)