What is "hierocles"

Hierocles (late 2nd century – 222 AD) was reputedly a favorite and lover of the Roman emperor Elagabalus. He was from Caria and was at some point enslaved and later became a charioteer in the service of Elagabalus. Elagabalus considered the blond Hierocles to be his husband and is credited with saying:

After Elagabalus granted Hierocles his freedom he unsuccessfully tried to have Hierocles declared Caesar, which would have made him the emperor's successor. Hierocles was executed, along with other members of Elagabalus' court, when the emperor fell from power in disgrace in 222.

Hierocles may refer to:

• Hierocles (Stoic), 2nd century, Stoic philosopher
• Hierocles (charioteer), 2nd–3rd century, presumed lover and court official of the emperor Elagabalus
• Sossianus Hierocles, 3rd–4th century, proconsul of Bithynia and Alexandria during the reign of Diocletian
• Hierocles, possibly 4th century, co-editor of Philogelos
• Hierocles of Alexandria, 5th century, Greek Neoplatonist writer
• Hierocles (author of Synecdemus), 6th century, Byzantine geographer, author of the Synecdemus
• Hierocles, a character in the play Peace by Aristophanes

Hierocles ( Greek: Ἱεροκλῆς Hierokles) was a Byzantine geographer of the sixth century and the attributed author of the Synecdemus or Synekdemos, which contains a table of administrative divisions of the Byzantine Empire and lists of the cities of each. The work is dated to the reign of Justinian but prior to 535, as it divides the 912 listed cities in the Empire among 64 Eparchies. The Synecdemus is thus one of the most invaluable monuments which we have to study the political geography of the sixth century East. The work of Hierocles along with that of Stephanus of Byzantium were the principal sources of Constantine VII's work on the Themes (De Thematibus). Hierocles was published by Parthey (Hieroclis Synecdemus; Berlin, 1866) then in a corrected text, by A. Burckhardt in the Teubner series (Hieroclis Synecdemus; Leipzig, 1893). The most recent major publication was by E. Honigmann (Le Synekdèmos d'Hiéroklès et l'opuscule géographique de Georges de Chypre; Brussels, 1939).

The Synecdemus of Hierocles should not be confused with a Greek Orthodox prayer book by the same name.

Hierocles (; fl. 2nd century) was a Stoic philosopher. Very little is known about his life. Aulus Gellius mentions him as one of his contemporaries, and describes him as a "grave and holy man."

Hierocles is famous for a book called Elements of Ethics, , part of which was discovered as a papyrus fragment at Hermopolis in 1901. This 300 line fragment discusses self-perception, and argues that all birds, reptiles, and mammals from the moment of birth perceive themselves continuously and that self-perception is both the primary and the most basic faculty of animals. The argument draws heavily on a Stoic concept known as self-ownership or oikeiôsis which was based on the view that all animals behave in a self-preserving way and are not just aware of themselves, but are aware of themselves in relation of other animals. Hierocles's argument about self-perception was part of the groundwork for an entire theory of ethics.

Some other fragments of Hierocles' writings are preserved by Stobaeus. The most famous fragment describes Stoic cosmopolitanism through the use of concentric circles. Hierocles describes individuals as consisting of a series of circles: the first circle is the human mind, next comes the immediate family, followed by the extended family, and then the local community. Next comes the community of neighbouring towns, followed by your country, and finally the entire human race. Our task, according to Hierocles was to draw the circles in towards the centre, transferring people to the inner circles, making all human beings part of our concern.