Demetrius Phalereus

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Demetrius Phalereus (dĬmē´trēəs fəlēr´ōōs, fəlēr´ēəs) [Lat.,=of Phalerum], d. c.280 BC, Athenian orator. One of the first Peripatetics, he wrote extensively in history, rhetoric, and literary criticism. He was governor of Athens (317–307 BC) under Cassander. In 307 BC, when Demetrius I took Athens, Demetrius Phalereus was overthrown. Escaping to Egypt, he rose in the favor of Ptolemy I, to whom he is said to have suggested a library. On the accession of Ptolemy Philadelphus, Demetrius again went into exile, dying soon afterward.

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