De fluviis

 ( 2nd-century Texts ) 

De fluviīs (Latin for "concerning rivers"), also called Dē fluviōrum et montium nōminibus et dē iīs quae in illīs inveniuntur ("concerning the names of rivers and mountains and those things which are found in them") or the Greek Περὶ ποταμῶν καὶ ὀρῶν ἐπωνυμίας, is a Greek text by Pseudo-Plutarch written during the 2nd century CE.

It discusses twenty-five rivers in Greece, Asia Minor, India, Gaul, Egypt, Scythia, and Armenia. The chapters typically start with a myth about the river, include information about local flora and stones, and end with details about a nearby mountain.

Scholars today classify it as paradoxography, or even a parody of paradoxography.

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The work Notably, Pseudo-Plutarch describes 22 of the 25 rivers as deriving their names from people who committed suicide in them. Six of the rivers were renamed twice due to suicide. Several of the mountains are also said to have gotten their names from suicides.

Most of the plants and stones described have mystical qualities to them, from warding off spirits and gods, to causing and healing madness, to exposing liars and thieves.

Sources are cited throughout the book including the Treatise of Rivers by Achelaus, the Second Book of Rivers by Sostratus, the Third Book of Mountains by Dercyllus, the Third Book of Plants by Ctesiphon, and the History of Boeotia by Leo of Byzantium. A full list is given below.

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Authorship The work is considered pseudepigrapha, meaning written by someone other than the attributed author, Plutarch. It is only preserved by the 9th century codex Palatinus gr. Heidelbergensis 398, which includes a marginal note stating, "This is pseudepigraphic, for the intellectual level and diction are far from the genius of Plutarch. Unless he might be some other Plutarch."

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Rivers

+ !River !Location !Named for Someone Who Threw Themselves in the River !Mountains !Plants !Stones/Other !Reference
Jhelum River	India	Yes	Elephas	river "like a heliotrope" used to prevent sunburn	river precious stone called "lychnis" which is found during the waxing moon while pipers are piping
Ismenus	Boeotia	Yes	Cithaeron	—	—
Maritsa	Thrace	Yes	Pangaeus	river "not unlike origanumn" burned and the smoke inhaled until they fall asleep mountain called "harp" because it grew from the blood of Orpheus; sounds like a harp when played during sacrifices to Bacchus —
Ganges	India	Yes	Anatole	river "resembling bugloss" the juice of which is sprinkled on tiger's dens, which causes the tigers to sleep to death	—
Rioni	Scythia	Yes	Caucasus	river reed called "leucophyllus" which when scattered on the floor keeps wives chaste and gets evildoers to confess their deeds and intentions mountain called "Prometheus" which Medea used to protect Jason from her father —
Arar	Gaul	Yes	Lugdunum	—	river fish called "Clupaea" which changes colors with the moon, and which has a stone in its head that can cure "quartan agues"
Pactolus	Lydia	Yes, twice	Tmolus	river purple flower called "chrysopolis" used to test the purity of gold	river stone called "preserver of the fields" which causes thieves to break their own necks mountain pumice-like stone which changes color 4 times a day, and only virgins can see; it protects them from rape
Lycormas	Aetolia	Yes	Myenus	river called "sarissa" which helps people with poor vision mountain flower called the "white violet" which gives a person the power to kill their step-mother by speaking it —
Maeander	Anatolia	Yes	Sipylus	—	river stone called "sophron" that makes a person go mad and murder their family mountain stone like a cylinder that obedient children take to the temple of Rhea
Marsyas	Phrygia	No	Berecyntus	river called "the pipe" which sounds like a pipe in the wind	mountain a stone called "machaera" which causes a person to go mad if found during the mysteries of Rhea
Strymon	Thrace	Yes	Rhodope and Haemus	—	river stone called "pausilypus" which eases grief mountain black, humanoid stones called "philadelphi" which waste away when separated
Sakarya River	Phrygia	Yes	Ballenaeus	—	river stone called "autoglyphus" or "self-engraved" with the Mother of the Gods naturally carved on it river stone called "aster" which shines at midnight in the end of autumn
Scamander	Troad	Yes	Ida (formerly Gargarus)	river herb with rattling seedpods that repel apparitions and gods	mountain stone called "cryphius" which can only be found during the mystery rituals of a god
Tanais	Scythia	Yes	Brixaba	river called "halinda" used to withstand cold mountain called "phryxa" or "hating the wicked" which protects sons from their step-mothers river a crystal which causes the bearer to be elected king upon the king's death
Thermodon	Scythia	Probably	Text of codex incomplete	—	—
Nile	Egypt	Yes, twice	Argyllus	—	river stone like a bean that stops dogs barking and drives out evil spirits river stone called "kolletes" used to build retaining walls
Eurotas	Laconia	Yes, twice	Taygetus	mountain called "Charisia" which women wear to increase male desire for them	river stone called "thrasydeilos, or rash and timorous" which jumps up at a trumpet sound, but sinks on hearing the name Athenians
Inachus	Argos	Yes, twice	Mycenae, Apesantus, Coccygium, and Athenaeum	river called "cynura" used to cause abortions river called "selene" used to ward off biting and stinging insects mountain tree called "paliurus" which snares any bird except the cuckoo mountain root called "Adrastea" which causes women to go mad	river stone like beryl which causes liars' hands to blacken mountain crow-colored stone called "corybas" which wards against apparitions
Alfeios	Arcadia	Yes, twice	Cronium	river called "cenchritis" which cures madness	mountain stone called "the cylinder" which rolls down whenever there's lightning
Euphrates	Parthia	Yes, twice	Drimylus	river called "axalla" which cures fits of "quartan-ague"	river stone called "aetites" which allows for nearly painless childbirth mountain precious stone like a "sardonyx"
Caicus	Mysia	Yes	Teuthras	river "a sort of poppy" which grows stones like harps that are thrown into a field, and if they fly away, a bounteous harvest is coming river "elipharmacus" which stops bleeding mountain stone called "the resister" which can cure leprosy when mixed with wine
Achelous River	Aetolia	Yes	Calydon	river called "zaclon" which can remove the alcohol from wine mountain called "myops" which causes a person to lose sight river a stone called "linurgus" which turns linen white
Araxes	Armenia	Yes	Diorphus	river called "araxa" which means "virgin hater" because if found by a virgin, they will bleed and die mountain tree like a "pomegranate-tree" with fruit that tastes like grapes; if you don't name Mars, the fruit will turn green again in your hand river black stone called "sicyonus" which can be used as proxy when human sacrifice is required
Tigris	Armenia	No	Gauran	mountain "like to wild barley" which guards against all sickness except death	river white stone called "myndan" which protects against wild beasts
Indus River	India	Yes	Lilaeus	river "not unlike to bugloss" remedy against the "king's evil"	river stone called text which prevents a virgin from being deflowered mountain black stone called "clitoris" people wear in their ears

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Works cited in-text Some 49 different writers are cited with 65 works between them, including 13 on rivers, 9 on stones, 7 histories, and 12 on international relations. Five are listed as the thirteenth volume on that topic by that author. Based on the titles, there would be at least 204 works by these authors.

In comparison, Plutarch's Alexander, a much longer work, cites around 25 sources by name. The authors cited in De fluviis seem to very conveniently come in rashes of similar syllables, e.g. Ctesias (x2), Ctesiphon, Ctesippus. The text itself is highly repetitive. These facts among others cause scholars to doubt heavily that any of the works and authors cited ever existed.

However, it does provide insight into the mind of a 2nd century Greek writer, shedding some light on what they would have considered legitimate. If the intended genre was parody, then it gives insight on what a writer from the period found humorous.

+ !Author !Books !Chapters
Achelaus	Treatise of Rivers First Book of Rivers First Book of Stones I, VIII
Agatharchides the Samian	Fourth Book of Stones Phrygian Relations IX, X
Agatho the Samian	Second Book of Scythian Relations	XIV
Agathocles the Milesian	History of Rivers	XVIII
Agathocles the Samian	Commonwealth of Pessinus	IX
Alexander Cornelius	Third Book of Phrygian Relations	X
Antisthenes	Third Book of Meleagris	XXII
Aretazes	Phrygian Relations	XII
Aristobulus	First Book of Stones	XIV
Aristonymus	Third Book of text	XXIV
Aristotle	Fourth Book of Rivers	XXV
Caemaron	Tenth Book of the Affairs of India	IV
Callisthenes	Third Book of Hunting	IV
Callisthenes the Sybarite	Thirteenth Book of Gallic Relations	VI
Chrysermus	History of India Third Book of Rivers Thirteenth Book of Rivers I, VII, XX
Chrysermus the Corinthian	First Book of his Peloponnesiacs	XVIII
Cleanthes	Third Book of the Wars of the Gods First Book of Mountains V, XVII
Clitonymus	Third Book of Thracian Relations	III
Clitophon	Thirteenth Book of the Building of Cities	VI, VII
Clitophon the Rhodian	First Book of Indian Relations	XXV
Ctesias	First Book of Rivers	XIX
Ctesias the Cnidian	Second Book of Mountains	XXI
Ctesias the Ephesian	First Book of the Acts of Perseus	XVIII
Ctesiphon	Third Book of Plants First Book of Trees Thirteenth Book of Trees XIV, XVIII, XXIII
Ctesippus	Second Book of Scythian Relations	V
Damaratus	Third Book of Rivers Fourth Book of Phrygia IX
Demodocus	First Book of the History of Hercules	XVIII
Demostratus of Apamea	Second Book of Rivers	IX, XIII
Dercyllus	Third Book of Mountains First Book of Satyrics First Book of Stones Third Book of Aetolics I, VIII, X, XIX, XXII
Diocles the Rhodian	Aetolics	XXII
Dorotheus the Chaldaean	Second Book of Stones	XXIII
Heraclitus the Sicyonian	Second Book of Stones	XIII
Hermesianax of Cyprus	Second Book of his Phrygian Relations	II, XII, XXIV
Hermogenes	(borrowed from Sosthenes)	XVII
Jason of Byzantium	Thracian Histories	XI
Leo of Byzantium	History of Boeotia Third Book of Rivers II, XXIV
Nicanor the Samian	Second Book of Rivers	XVII
Nicias Mallotes	Book of Stones	XX
Plesimachus	Second Book of the Returns of the Heroes	XVIII
Sosthenes the Cnidian	Thirteenth Book of Iberian Relations	XVI
Sostratus	Second Book of Rivers First Collection of Fabulous History II, XXIV
Theophilus	First Book of Stones	XXIV
Thrasyllus	Third Book of Stones	XI
Thrasyllus the Mendesian	Thracian Histories Relation of Egypt XVI
Timagenes the Syrian	(borrowed an argument from Callisthenes the Sybarite)	VI
Timagoras	First Book of Rivers	XXI
Timolaus	First Book of Phrygian Relations	IX
Timotheus	Eleventh Book of Rivers Argolica III, XVIII

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External links

• Interlinear Greek and Latin: Geographi Graeci Minores. Müllerus, Carolus. 1861.
• English: De fluvii. Goodwin, William. 1874.

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