(fl. second century B.C.E.) Chronicler and trade expert
He served PTOLEMY VIII EUERGETES II (r. 170–163, 145–116 B.C.E.) in the capital of ALEXANDRIA. Born a Greek in Cnidus, a city on the coast of Anatolia (modern Turkey), Agatharchides went to Egypt’s capital to study the monumental archives in the LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA. As a result of his scholarly reputation, he was commissioned by Ptolemy’s officials to prepare a comprehensive report on the city’s trade and commerce. Agatharchides produced On The Red Sea, a work that used testimony from contemporary merchants and traders. Their accounts provide historical authenticity to the report and offer vivid insights into the wide-ranging TRADE efforts of that time. Agatharchides is considered one of the most significant scholars of the second century B.C.E. He also wrote Events in Asia and Events in Europe, now lost.
