Archestratus (music theorist)

Archestratus, in music history, refers to a relatively obscure figure believed to have been a Greek music theorist. Very little is known about him, and his existence is primarily based on references in later sources, particularly those dealing with ancient Greek music theory.

What little information is attributed to Archestratus suggests he was active sometime before the major figures whose writings have survived more extensively, such as Aristoxenus and Ptolemy. He is often associated with pre-Aristoxenian harmonic theories, and his contributions likely involved explorations of musical intervals, scales, and tunings. However, specific details of his theoretical positions are fragmentary and often inferred from criticisms or reformulations offered by subsequent theorists.

Because no complete treatise attributed to Archestratus has survived, our understanding of his contributions is heavily reliant on secondary accounts and the contextual reconstruction of his ideas from the writings of those who came after him. Scholars continue to debate the precise nature and significance of his work in the broader context of the development of ancient Greek music theory. He remains a name mentioned primarily in scholarly discussions of the historical progression of musical thought in ancient Greece.