Cornelius Nepos

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Cornelius Nepos (c. 110 – c. 25 BC) was a Roman biographer and historian from the Late Republic era, known for his work, De Viris Illustribus ("On the Lives of Famous Men"), which focused on the biographies of foreign generals and statesmen. His work is significant as it provides insight into Roman attitudes towards foreign cultures and also serves as one of the earliest examples of biographical writing in Latin literature.

Life

Little is known about the life of Cornelius Nepos. He was born in Gallia Cisalpina, a region in northern Italy, but spent most of his life in Rome. His exact birth and death dates are uncertain, but he is believed to have lived from around 110 BC to 25 BC. Nepos was a contemporary and friend of Cicero, Atticus, and Catullus, and his work reflects the intellectual environment of the late Roman Republic.

Works

The most famous work of Cornelius Nepos is De Viris Illustribus, a collection of short biographies of distinguished men from various countries, excluding Rome. The work was divided into multiple books, with each focusing on different categories of notable figures, such as generals, kings, and historians. Unfortunately, only the book on foreign generals survives in its entirety, along with fragments of others.

In addition to De Viris Illustribus, Nepos wrote several other works, including a chronicle of the Roman history from the earliest times to his present, and biographies of Cato the Elder and Cicero. However, these works have been lost to history, and only references to them survive in the writings of other authors.

Legacy

Cornelius Nepos's approach to biography was innovative for his time. He sought to provide moral examples through the lives of great men, emphasizing their virtues and vices. His work influenced later biographers, including Plutarch and Suetonius, and contributed to the development of biography as a literary genre in Western literature.

Despite the loss of most of his writings, Nepos's surviving work provides valuable insights into the Roman world and its perception of other cultures. His straightforward and concise style of writing was praised by ancient authors and has been appreciated by generations of readers and scholars.

See Also

• Roman literature
• Biography
• History of Rome