Dionysius of Halicarnassus

1st-century BC Greek historian and teacher

Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Ancient Greek: Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς, Dionúsios Alexándrou Halikarnasseús, ''Dionysios (son of Alexandros) of Halikarnassos''; c. 60 BC – after 7 BC) was an ancient Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric.[1] He flourished when Augustus was ruler of the Roman Empire.[2] His writing style was "atticistic" meaning that it imitated Attic Greek.[1] Dionysius wrote a history of Rome titled the Roman Antiquities.[1]

Dionysius of Halicarnassus
An image of Dionysius of Halicarnassus from the Codices Ambrosiani.
Bornc. 60 BC
Diedc. 7 BC (aged around 53)
CitizenshipRoman
Occupations
  • Historian
  • Rhetoric
  • Writer

Life change

Dionysius was a native of Halicarnassus in Asia Minor.[1] He moved to Rome in 30/29 BCE after the end of the Roman civil wars and studied Latin.[1][3] During this time, Dionysius taught rhetoric.[4] The date of his death is unknown.[4] In the 19th century, it was commonly thought that he was the ancestor of Aelius Dionysius of Halicarnassus.[5]

Works change

Dionysius wrote an important work titled Roman Antiquities (Greek: Ῥωμαϊκὴ Ἀρχαιολογία, Rhōmaikē Archaiologia).[1][3] It narrates the history of Rome from the mythical period to the start of the First Punic War.[1][3] The work has twenty books but only the first nine have survived while the other books exist only as fragments.[1][3] The thesis of Dionysius' work "was that Rome was a Greek city, Latin a Greek dialect, and Romans really Greeks."[1]

References change

Citations change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Hidber 2013, pp. 228–229.
  2. Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Roman Antiquities, Book I, Chapter 6.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Seyffert, Nettleship & Sandys 1894, "Dionysius. (3) Dionysius of Halicarnassus", pp. 190–191.
  4. 4.0 4.1   One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dionysius Halicarnassensis". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–286..
  5. Schmitz 1870, p. 1037.

Sources change