a Greek physician and historian, who flourished in the fifth century B.C. He was born of an Asclepiad family at Cnidus in Caria, and was in the early part of his life private physician to Artaxerxes Mnemon. According to Diodorus, he rose to this appointment after having been taken prisoner at the battle of Cunaxa; but it is more probable that he was attracted to Persia by the liberal encouragement there given to professors of the medical art. Ctesias was the author of several historical works, including a history of Persia and of India, a treatise on rivers, another treatise on the Persian revenues, and probably also of a work on medicine.