Crates
Mining and hydraulic engineer, who accompanied Alexander the Great
About Crates
Born 500 BC. Crates was an engineer and hydraulic engineer.
Crates or Craterus (Κρατερός) was a mining (μεταλλευτής metalleutes) and hydraulic engineer, who accompanied Alexander the Great. He was entrusted with draining Lake Copais in Boeotia and contributed to the construction of Alexandria. It appears that Crates may have been an Olynthian who settled in the Euboean mother-city, Chalcis, after the destruction of Olynthus in 348 BC.
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Important facts
Related people
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Crates?
mining and hydraulic engineer, who accompanied Alexander the Great
When was Crates born?
Crates was born in 500 BC in Olynthus.
What was Crates's occupation?
Crates was an engineer and hydraulic engineer.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Crates. https://biography.guide/crates/
MLA: "Crates." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/crates/.
Chicago: "Crates." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/crates/.
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