Sosylus of Lacedaemon

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]

Sosylus
Σωσύλος
NationalityLacedaemon
OccupationHistorian
EmployerHannibal
Known forTutoring Hannibal

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. Scullard, Howard Hayes (1970). Scipio Africanus: Soldier and Politician. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801405495.
  3. 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. MacDonald, Eve (2015-02-24). Hannibal: A Hellenistic Life. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-21015-6.
  6. 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.
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