Flourishing 160 B.C.E.
Astronomer

Stoic Inquiry. Born in Cilicia, Crates was the son of Timocrates. A contemporary of Aristarchus, but unlike him, Crates was less interested in mathematical astronomy than in relating astronomy to Homer. He sought to interpret Homer's universe according to Stoic principles. Crates visited Rome as part of King Eumenes' delegation in 159 B.C.E. and gave several lectures there that intrigued the Romans. Later he may have helped King Eumenes II to establish the library at Pergamum that subsequently was second only to Alexandria's library in fame.

Source:

Peter Barr, Reid Forbes, Robert Browning, and Nigel Guy Wilson, "Crates," in The Oxford Classical Dictionary, edited by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth, third edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 406.