Maximus, Astrologus

Maximus is the name attached to a Greek didactic hexameter poem, Περὶ καταρχῶν ("On Inceptions"), on catarchic astrology — the art of choosing auspicious moments for undertakings. The poem is traditionally, though uncertainly, linked to Maximus of Ephesus, the 4th-century-CE Neoplatonist philosopher and theurgist who taught the emperor Julian. Many scholars doubt this identification and treat the astrological poet as a distinct or possibly pseudonymous figure of imperial Roman date. What survives includes the verse poem and a prose epitome. Little can be said with confidence about the author beyond the work itself.