Gaius Julius Solinus

Gaius Julius Solinus was a late antique Latin grammarian and compiler. He was probably in the middle of the 4th century.

" Polymath "

His major work is De mirabilibus mundi ( " The wonder of the world " ) known also under the titles Collectanea rerum memorabilium ( " Collected Memoirs " ) and polymath. Theodor Mommsen dated the work in the first half of the 3rd century. The content is for the most part a collection of oddities and curiosities, which had mainly excerpted from the Natural History of Pliny and Pomponius Mela of the geography of the author. After Mommsen used Solinus also a chronicle (probably Cornelius Bocchus ) and Chorographia Pliniana, an extract ( Epitome ) from the work of Pliny from the time of Hadrian.

It seems to have been two editions, the second appeared under the title polymath was authorized in contrast to the first by the author. The work was very popular in the Middle Ages, it circulated excerpts and even Versfassungen (eg by Theodoric of St. Truiden ). It has sometimes been assumed at the time that Polyhistor be the name of the author.

The early editors Saumaise found a fragment of a poem called pontica in heroic hexameters, which presumably also from Solinus.

Expenditure

• C. Ivlii Solini polymath, seu rerum orbis memorabilium collectanea. Eucharius Cervicornus Hero & Fuchs, Cologne 1520.
• Claude de Saumaise: Plinianæ Exercitationes in CAJI Julii Solini Polyhistoria - item CAJI Julii Solinii polymath ex Libris Veteribus emendatus. 2 vols Utrecht 1629th text and commentary.
• Theodor Mommsen: C. Ivlii Solini collectanea rervm memorabilivm 4th edition, unveränd. Nachdr the 1st edition, Berlin 1895. Weidmann, Zurich and Hildesheim 1999. ISBN 3-615-15600-5

• Pontica in: Pieter Burman: Anthologia veterum Latinorum Epigrammatum Et Poëmatum. Peter Schouten, Amsterdam 1759-1773.