Euhemerus, also spelled Euemeros, or Evemerus  ( flourished 300 BCGreek mythographer who established the tradition of seeking an actual historical basis for mythical beings and events. It is thought he was born at Messina, though some claim he was born at Chios, Tegea, or Messene in the Peloponnesus. He lived at the court of Cassander, king of Macedonia, from approximately 301 to 297 BC. He is chiefly known by his Sacred History, a philosophic romance based upon archaic inscriptions that he claimed to have found during his travels in various parts of Greece.

In this work he systematized for the first time an old Oriental (perhaps Phoenician) method of interpreting the popular myths; he asserted that the gods were originally heroes and conquerors who had earned a claim to the veneration of their subjects. This system spread widely, and the early Christians, especially, used it as a confirmation of their belief that ancient mythology was merely an aggregate of fables of human invention.

The word euhemeristic is applied to such explanations of primitive myths. There is no doubt an element of truth in this approach, for, among the Romans, the gradual deification of ancestors and emperors was a prominent feature of religious development. Among primitive people, it is sometimes possible to trace family and tribal gods back to great chiefs and warriors. But it is not accepted by students of comparative religion as the sole explanation of the origin of gods c. 300 BC , Messene? [now Messina, Sicily, Italy]author of a utopian work that was popular in the ancient world; his name was given to the theory that gods are great men worshipped after their death (i.e., Euhemerism). His most important work was Hiera Anagraphe (probably early 3rd century BC; “The Sacred Inscription”), which was translated into Latin by the poet Ennius (239–169 BC). Only fragments survive of both the original Greek and the Latin translation.

In Euhemerus’s first-person narrative, he is sent by the Macedonian king Cassander (305–297 BC) on an imaginary voyage to the Indian Ocean, where he eventually lands on an island he calls Panchaea. The island is full of marvels, and it has a clear three-class structure: priests and craftsmen, farmers, and soldiers and shepherds. On Panchaea the poet discovers in a temple of Zeus the sacred inscription that gives the book its name. The inscription explains that Zeus and his ancestors Uranus (Heaven) and the Titan Cronus, as well as the other gods, were mortals who were worshipped because of their accomplishments or merits. Euhemerus may have been simply applying to all the gods what was commonly believed to be true of some—e.g., Dionysus and Heracles. He may also have been influenced by Hellenistic ruler cults, which became popular as a result of the success of Alexander the Great.

Euhemerus’s work combined elements of fiction, political utopianism, and theology. In the ancient world he was considered an atheist. Early Christian writers, such as Lactantius, used the principles of Euhemerus to assert that, because the ancient gods were originally human, they were necessarily inferior to the Christian god.