Antiphanes of Berge

Antiphanes of Berge (or Antiphanes the Younger, Ancient Greek: Ἀντιφάνης ὁ Βεργαῖος, 4th century BC) of Berge, a town near Amphipolis, was a Greek writer of the book Ἄπιστα (Apista; "Unbelievable Things"). Strabo[1] mentions him as an impostor, because Antiphanes wished the reader to believe everything in his book, which actually contained falsehoods. It was due to Antiphanes, who lived in Athens, that the Attic verb βεργαΐζειν (bergaizein) was used in the sense of telling unbelievable stories. He also wrote a work on courtesans. He is not to be confused with Antiphanes of Argos, as was done with some ancient writers.

Notes

1. i. p. 47, ii. pp. 102, 104; comp. Polyb. xx xiii. 12

References

• Antiphanes of Berge, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.