NICANDER, a Greek poet, physician, and grammarian, succeeded his father Damnaeus or Xenophanes as hereditary priest of Apollo at CJarus, the famous temple in the territory of the Colophonians. Hence he is often called Colophonius. He wrote a great number of works both in prose and verse, of which two are preserved. The longest, Theriaca y is a poem in about 1000 hexameters on the nature of venomous animals and the wounds which they inflict. The other, Alexipharmaca, consists of 600 hexameters treating of poisons and their antidotes. The works of Nicander are praised by Cicero, and frequently quoted by Pliny and other writers. A Greek writer in the Anthology celebrates the glory of Colophon as birthplace of both Homer and Nicander. The two works preserved do not justify this; they have, as Plutarch says, nothing of poetry about them except the metre, and the style is affected and obscure; but they contain some interesting information as to ancient belief on the subjects treated. Nicander flourished probably in the 2d century B.c.