Quintus Claudius Quadrigarius

Quintus Claudius Quadrigarius was a Roman historian of the first century BC

Life

After a literary-historical remark of Velleius Paterculus Claudius Quadrigarius lived, as well as his contemporaries, Valerius Antias and Lucius Cornelius Sisenna at the time of the Roman general Sulla, so in the first half of the first century BC In accordance with this statement of Velleius rich the fragments obtained its like most ancient Roman annals of lost work up to events from the time of the Roman civil war Sulla ( latest fragment: 82 BC). From his cognomen Quadrigarius it is concluded that he did not belong to the patrician branch of the Claudian. Otherwise, nothing is known of his life.

Work

The title of the work of Claudius Quadrigarius varies in the ancient quotes, similar to Valerius Antias between annales and historiae. It included at least 23 books, but did not start like most other annals with the legendary early Roman history, but only with the conquest of Rome by the Gauls ( 390 BC). Probably believed Claudius Quadrigarius, the older time not being able to tell, since the Gauls had then destroyed all the documents. The historical material was distributed in Claudius ' work so that in the first book including the Samnite Wars ( to 304 BC), the struggles against Pyrrhus were shown in the third book in the 5th book of the defeat of the Romans at Cannae against Hannibal ( 216 BC ) mentioned. In the 13th book came the return of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus (99 BC), in the 19th book of Sulla's victory over Archelaus (86 BC). As with similar histories presented the author himself experienced contemporary history that is much wider than is the longer standing time.

Claudius Quadrigarius, who probably wrote from the perspective of Optimates essentially followed the annalistic scheme, but adorned the poor especially in the older Roman history annual reports under the influence of Hellenistic historiography by fictitious speeches and letters, deeds, information on the history and system of cities, etc.. So he put in a Aulus Gellius obtained by the wording of section 1 of the book of his Annals of the moment of Titus Manlius Torquatus imperiosus with a huge Gaul describes in detail; otherwise resembles his report on the essential points of the Livy and is by the same author on dated 367 BC, while Livy tells this episode under the year 361 BC. A stylistic comparison between Livius and Claudius Quadrigarius is possible by this longer quote verbatim. The description of battles are much more fictional than, say, partly based on autopsy at Claudius, more realistic representations of Polybius. Also to make the material more interesting for the reader, he does not shrink from some exaggerations, especially the high casualty figures of the Roman enemy back. Overall, it was not always so believable. He wrote in simple and clear sentences using a variety of archaic words.

In his list of important annalists Marcus Tullius Cicero Claudius Quadrigarius treated (as Clodius ) only briefly. Livy but used it extensively from his sixth book, but calls him in ten explicit quotations (which occur a few in which based on Livy, Orosius ) only Claudius without cognomen. For the obtained Books 31-45 of Livy can state you that he used Valerius Claudius next Antias especially for events in Italy as the main source. But it is hardly possible to distinguish loans from Claudius from those of Valerius Antias, as Livy does not reflect the wording of his original authors, but it worked and especially her style for his time adapting to the audience taste. Do not be proven that Dionysius of Halicarnassus used Claudius Quadrigarius, but was rediscovered in the 2nd century AD because of its archaisms. Especially Gellius wrote a long literal fragments of it from, Fronto praised his style and the grammarians recorded its rare ancient words.

It is unclear the identity of Claudius Quadrigarius with one of Livy twice called Claudius, who translated the Greek written annals of Acilius into Latin or edited, with a further mentioned by Plutarch Clodius, who wrote a script elenchos Chronon, and with one of Appian as an author a work chronikai syntaxeis said Paul Claudius.

Expenditure

• Hans Beck, Uwe Walter ( ed. ): The early Roman historians. Vol 2 From Coelius Antipater to Pomponius Atticus. Wiss. Buchges. , Darmstadt 2004, ISBN 3-534-14758-8, pp. 109-167.
• Peter Hermann: Historicorum Romanorum Reliquiae ( HRR ). Vol I ², p 205-237.