Archelaus (geographer)

Archelaus was a Greek geographer, possibly living in the 5th century CE. He is known almost exclusively through mentions by other later geographers and historians, particularly Stephanus of Byzantium. Details about his life and works are scarce and primarily consist of cited opinions and geographical descriptions quoted within these later sources. He is believed to have written a work on rivers, of which only fragments survive in the aforementioned secondary accounts. These fragments suggest a focus on the rivers of Greece and the surrounding regions, providing descriptions of their courses and associated settlements. Due to the limited surviving evidence, a comprehensive understanding of Archelaus's geographical perspective and methodologies is difficult to ascertain. His importance lies chiefly in his contribution to the body of geographical knowledge accessible to later scholars, as evidenced by its preservation, albeit fragmented, within their works. The precise scope and content of his original writings remain largely speculative.