Loukianos o Samosateys

Lucian of Samosata (circa 120-180 AD) was born in Samosata, a city by the Euphrates River, in what is now Kurdistan, in the then Hellenized Syrian province known as Commagene (today, Samosata is called Samsat and is part of Turkey). Initially, he was found in his uncle's workshop, who was a sculptor. However, young Lucian did not enjoy sculpture at all, nor did he want to work with his uncle. Instead, he chose to learn Greek and study the art of rhetoric, in which he indeed became very skilled. This allowed him to travel extensively and visit many countries. From Antioch in Syria, where he worked for the first time as a rhetorician, and Asia Minor, he moved to Greece and traveled several times to Italy and distant Gaul. Around the age of forty, he settled permanently in Athens, making a living from sophistry, while also engaging in satirical dialogue and Epicurean philosophy. Lucian wrote many works. At a time when intellectuals were striving to "appear Greek," he always emphasized his Syrian heritage, setting an example of a Greek participant in Greek education rather than just in name. He is considered, among other things, the father of science fiction, with works about space travel and astronauts, including "True History" and "Icaromenippus."