Sosylus of Lacedaemon

Sosylus
Σωσύλος
NationalityLacedaemon
OccupationHistorian
EmployerHannibal
Known forTutoring Hannibal

Sosylus of Lacedaemon (Greek: Σωσύλος) was a Greek historian in the 3rd century BC. He would campaign alongside Hannibal throughout the Second Punic War, teaching him Greek and recording the events of his campaign.[1]

Biography

There are some disputes regarding where Sosylus was born. The predominant theory sides with his epithet, claiming that he was born in Lacedaemon.[2][3][4][5] There is evidence however, that he may have been born in Ilium or Elis as stated by competing testimony from Diodorus.[6][7]

Serving Hannibal

Sosylus accompanied Hannibal during the Second Punic War and is the author of the Deeds of Hannibal, a lost historical work of seven volumes; only fragments of the work are known.[6][5][8][9][10] It is often assumed that Sosylus only recounted the first part of the war due to Battle of Ebro River being recorded in the fourth volume of the work.[11] Sosylus taught Hannibal Greek, while also recording the events of the war.[2][3][12][13] He also is believed to have served as an advisor to Hannibal.[14]

It is possible that Polybios may have used material from Sosylus' history for his writing about Hannibal in The Histories.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ Augoustakis, Antony (2009-11-23). Brill's Companion to Silius Italicus. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-21711-9.
  2. ^ a b Scullard, Howard Hayes (1970). Scipio Africanus: Soldier and Politician. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801405495.
  3. ^ a b Charles-Picard, Gilbert; Charles-Picard, Colette (1968). The Life and Death of Carthage: A Survey of Punic History and Culture from Its Birth to Its Final Tragedy. Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 9780283352553.
  4. ^ Renatus, Flavius Vegetius (1990). Epitoma Rei Militaris. P. Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-1403-4.
  5. ^ a b MacDonald, Eve (2015-02-24). Hannibal: A Hellenistic Life. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-21015-6.
  6. ^ a b Thompson, James Westfall (1942). A History of Historical Writing ... Macmillan.
  7. ^ "ToposText". topostext.org. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  8. ^ Sosylus, in Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (Fragments of Greek Historians) by Felix Jacoby
  9. ^ Hanson, Victor Davis (2007-12-18). Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-42518-8.
  10. ^ Daly, Gregory (2005-08-18). Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-50712-2.
  11. ^ Scullard, Howard Hayes (1930). Scipio Africanus in the Second Punic War. CUP Archive.
  12. ^ Dexter Hoyos (26 May 2015). A Companion to the Punic Wars. John Wiley & Sons (2011). p. 100. ISBN 9781119025504.
  13. ^ Rahe, Paul Anthony (2015-11-24). The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: The Persian Challenge. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-21860-2.
  14. ^ Hunt, Patrick (2017-07-11). Hannibal. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-0217-6.
  15. ^ Hazel, John (2002-09-26). Who's Who in the Roman World. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-59251-7.
  16. ^ Jona Lendering (April 6, 2016). "Hannibal in the Alps". Livius.org. Retrieved April 7, 2016.