16. Surnamed DYSCOLOS, that is, the ill-tempered, was a son of Mnesitheus and Ariadne, and born at Alexandria, where he flourished in the reigns of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. He was one of the most renowned grammarians of his time, partly on account of his numerous and excellent works, and partly on account of his son, Aelius Herodian, who had been educated by him, and was as great a grammarian as himself. Apollonius is said to have been so poor, that he was obliged to write on shells. as he had no means of procuring the ordinary writing materials; and this poverty created that state of mind to which he owed the surname of Dyscolos. He lived and was buried in that part of Alexandria which was called Bruchium or Πυρουχεῖον. But, unless he is confounded with Apollonius of Chalcis, he also spent some time at Rome, where he attracted the attention of the emperor M. Antoninus.
Apollonius and his son are called by Priscian in several passages the greatest of all grammarians, and he declares, that it was only owing to the assistance which he derived from their works that he was enabled to undertake his task. (Priscian, Praef. ad libb. i. and vi. viii. p. 833, ix. init. and p. 941.) He was the first who reduced grammar to anything like a system, and is therefore called by Priscian "grammaticorum princeps."