Sosylus of Lacedaemon explained

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.^{[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.^{[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]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Augoustakis, Antony. Brill's Companion to Silius Italicus. 2009-11-23. BRILL. 978-90-04-21711-9. en.
2. Book: Scullard, Howard Hayes. Scipio Africanus: Soldier and Politician. 1970. Cornell University Press. 9780801405495. en.
3. Book: Charles-Picard. Gilbert. The Life and Death of Carthage: A Survey of Punic History and Culture from Its Birth to Its Final Tragedy. Charles-Picard. Colette. 1968. Sidgwick & Jackson. 9780283352553. en.
4. Book: Renatus, Flavius Vegetius. Epitoma Rei Militaris. 1990. P. Lang. 978-0-8204-1403-4. en.
5. Book: MacDonald, Eve . Eve MacDonald . Hannibal: A Hellenistic Life. 2015-02-24. Yale University Press. 978-0-300-21015-6. en.
6. Book: Thompson, James Westfall. A History of Historical Writing .... 1942. Macmillan. en.
7. Web site: ToposText. 2021-04-07. topostext.org.
8. http://www.attalus.org/translate/fgh.html#176.0 Sosylus, in
9. Book: Hanson, Victor Davis. Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power. 2007-12-18. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. 978-0-307-42518-8. en.
10. Book: Daly, Gregory. Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War. 2005-08-18. Routledge. 978-1-134-50712-2. en.
11. Book: Scullard, Howard Hayes. Scipio Africanus in the Second Punic War. 1930. CUP Archive. en.
12. Book: A Companion to the Punic Wars . Dexter Hoyos . 26 May 2015 . John Wiley & Sons (2011). 100. 9781119025504.
13. Book: Rahe, Paul Anthony. The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: The Persian Challenge. 2015-11-24. Yale University Press. 978-0-300-21860-2. en.
14. Book: Hunt, Patrick. Hannibal. 2017-07-11. Simon and Schuster. 978-1-4391-0217-6. en.
15. Book: Hazel, John. Who's Who in the Roman World. 2002-09-26. Routledge. 978-1-134-59251-7. en.
16. Web site: Hannibal in the Alps . Jona Lendering. Livius.org . April 6, 2016. April 7, 2016.