Corpus Fontium Historiae Fodinarum: Difference between revisions

Very little is known on Herodotus. It is thought he was born around 484 BC in Halicarnassus (Greek city in modern Turkey), lived in Athens and was a friend of the poet Sophocles. Herodotus was pro-Athenian in his writings and was well informed on their customs and way of life. He was one of the first colonists of the Thuria or Thurii, a city founded by the Athenians on the south coast of Italy. He travelled during and after his period of exile and compiled what he saw in ''The Histories'', which consists of nine books.<ref>Griffith 1996: v–vi.</ref>

Not much is known of this classical historian and his works were little read in his time. He was thought to be the protégé of two prominent political figures in Egypt during the first half of the second century BC. Cineas was a councillor of King Ptolemy VI, and Heracleides was a diplomat involved in negotiations to end the invasion of Antiochus IV in 169 BC. Both men had an influence on Agatharchidus’ work in literature and scholarly thinking. His work ''On the Erythraean Sea'' was never finished as the political situation brought a premature end to his writing career.<ref>Burstein 1989: 12–18.</ref>

Of Greek origin, Diodorus born in the first century BC and was a historian during the reigns of Julius Caesar (49–44 BC) and Augustus (30 BC–AD 14). He travelled parts of Europe and Asia and lived for a long time in Rome. His ''Bibliotheca Historica'' covers universal history, from mythic times to the beginning of Caesar’s Gallic Wars, and consisted of 40 books of which only 15 were preserved completely; the rest is only known from fragments. He copied Agatharchidus of Cnidos’ description of mining, which has been used many times by modern scholars to explain the organisation of mining settlements in Egypt and the East.<ref>Blackeney 1916: on Diodorus.</ref>

A geographer from Pontus, Amasian, Strabo is thought to have been born in 64BC and died around AD 24. He lived during the reign of Augustus (30 BC–AD 14) and part of that of Tiberius (AD 14–37). His 43 books on Roman history were meant for the intelligent upper class and are now all lost. His ''Geography'' was written in 17 books, all of which are preserved except for book seven. His friend Aelius Gallus was the (first) Egyptian prefect in 24 BC.<ref>Blackeney 1916: on Strabo.</ref>

Gaius Plinius Secundus was born in AD 23 and died during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. He studied law, held a military career in Germany and an administrative position in Transalpine Gaul (N Italy) and Spain under Vespasian (AD 69–79). On retirement during the reign of Nero, he re-entered public life and became procurator of Spain, a position he held until Vespasian won the principate (AD 69–69). He was the uncle of Pliny the Younger, who himself was a lawyer and documented the eruption of Vesuvius. Of his ''Naturalis Historia'', only 37 books have been preserved which cover many topics; of interest are books 33–37 which deal with precious metals and mining techniques.<ref>Rackham 1937: vii–xii; Blackeney 1916: on Pliny.</ref>

Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus, born around AD 56 or 57 to a family from the south of France or north of Italy (Cisalpine Gaul), may have survived the days of Trajan (AD 98–117) and part of the reign of Hadrian (AD 117–137). A member of the provincial upper class, he was a famous orator and senator and a friend and teacher of Pliny the Younger, and held the highest metropolitan position, governorship of the province of Anatolia (Asia). His works ''The Annals of Imperial Rome'' consisted of 10 books covering the period AD 14 to the reign of Nero, and were his last and greatest work, which, together with ''The Histories'', (AD 14–96) were his only historical books.<ref>Grant 1989: 7–10.</ref>

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, born around AD 75, came from Hippa Regius (now Algeria). He practised law and served in Bithynia Pontus (north Asia Minor) on the staff of Pliny the Younger in c. AD 110–12. Suetonius was a Roman knight (''eques'') and held a succession of posts at the imperial court under Trajan (AD 98–117) and Hadrian (AD 117–38). He was also a biographer and his book ''The Lives of the Caesars'' covers the lives of 12 Caesars from Julius (49–44 BC) to Domitian (AD 96) and is 97% complete.<ref>Graves 1989: 7–11.</ref>

Arrian Flavius Arrianus Xenophon was probably born a few years before AD 90 in Nicomedia, a province of Bithynia, into a Greek family, though, like his father, he was a Roman citizen by birth, having likely received citizenship from Vespasian (AD 69–79). He was the pupil of the philosopher Epictetus and had a career in the imperial services, holding the position of chief magistrate in Rome and Athens, and governor of one of the provinces on the Roman frontier. Later he became an Athenian citizen and died at some point in AD 173–180. He is also known as the author of the ''Campaigns of Alexander'' (the Great), as well as of numerous books on history and philosophy, and of biographies.<ref>De Sélincourt 1971: 13–17.</ref>

Photius was a ninth-century Byzantine patriarch and classical scholar whose publication ''Bibliotheca'', Codex 250, contains sections of Agatharchides’ ''On the Erythraean Sea'' copied almost verbatim. His version is known as the best copy of Agatharchides’ work on gold mining in the Eastern Desert of Egypt as he could still read much of it in its original form. The ''Bibliotheca'' is a compilation of 279 reviews of books from various authors, dated between the fifth and ninth centuries AD, though many of the books he refers to no longer exist.<ref>Burstein 1989: 21–22.</ref>