Dionysius of Halicarnassus

Dionysius of Halicarnassus
An image of Dionysius of Halicarnassus from the Codices Ambrosiani.
Bornc. 60 BC
Halicarnassus, Asia, Roman Republic
(now Bodrum, Muğla, Turkey)
Diedc. 7 BC (aged around 53)
Rome, Roman Empire
(now Rome, Italy)
CitizenshipRoman
Occupations
  • Historian
  • Rhetoric
  • Writer
Notable workRoman Antiquities

Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Ancient Greek: Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς, Dionúsios Alexándrou Halikarnasseús, ''Dionysios (son of Alexandros) of Halikarnassos''; c.  60 BC – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus.[1] His literary style was atticistic – imitating Classical Attic Greek in its prime.

He is known for his work Rhōmaikē Archaiologia (Roman Antiquities), which describes the history of Rome from its beginnings until the outbreak of the First Punic War in 264 BCE. Out of twenty books, only the first nine have survived.[2] Dionysius' opinion of the necessity of a promotion of paideia within education, from true knowledge of classical sources, endured for centuries in a form integral to the identity of the Greek elite.[3]

  1. ^ Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities Book I, Chapter 6
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sandys-1894 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hidber-2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).