Timachidas di Rodi e la Cronaca di Lindo

It is generally accepted that Timachidas, one of the authors of the Lindian Chronicle, should be identified with a Hellenistic poet and grammarian of the same name. Nevertheless, in view of the inadequate testimonies proving this hypothesis, I assert that the two figures should be differentiated. The working methods present several dissimilarities: for instance, the use of the sources in the Chronicle is vague, and the attitude towards dialects expressed in the texts do not correspond. Moreover, Section D of the Chronicle, which is rich in Hellenistic rhetorical features, shows no historical interpretation of the epiphanies, a fact that distances the text from traditional historiography. Taking into consideration both the flourishing cultural background of the Hellenistic Rhodes, and the statistic data regarding the diffusion of the name Timachidas at the time, I strongly doubt that the author of the Lindian Chronicle is, to all intents and purposes, the namesake Hellenistic poet.