Hieronymus of Cardia
Encyclopedia
Hieronymus of Cardia, Greek
general and historian
from Cardia
in Thrace, was a contemporary of Alexander the Great (354–250 BC).
After the death of Alexander he followed the fortunes of his friend and fellow-countryman Eumenes. He was wounded and taken prisoner by Antigonus
, who pardoned him and appointed him superintendent of the asphalt beds in the Dead Sea
. He was treated with equal friendliness by Antigonus's son Demetrius
, who made him polemarch of Thespiae
, and by Antigonus Gonatas, at whose court he died at the age of 104.
He wrote a history of the Diadochi and their descendants, embracing the period from the death of Alexander to the war with Pyrrhus
(323–272 BC), which is one of the chief authorities used by Diodorus Siculus
(xviii.-xx.) and also by Plutarch
in his life of Pyrrhus.
He made use of official papers and was careful in his investigation of facts. The simplicity of his style seemingly rendered his work unpopular to people of his time, but modern historians believe it was very good. In the last part of his work he made a praiseworthy attempt to acquaint the Greeks with the character and early history of the Romans. He is reproached by Pausanias
(i. 9. 8) with unfairness towards all rulers with the exception of Antigonus Gonatas.
No significant amount of his work survived the end of the ancient world. Like the even more famous lost history of Alexander by Ptolemy I of Egypt
, not one book, not one chapter has seen the light of day.
See Lucian
, Macrobii, 22; Plutarch, Demetrius, 39; Diod. Sic. xviii. 42. 44. 50, xix. i 09; Dion. Halic.
Antiq. Rom. 1. 6; F Brückner, De vita et scriptis Hieronymi Cardii in Zeitschrift für die Alterthumswissenschaft (1842); F Reuss, Hieronymos von Kardia (Berlin, 1876); Charles Wachsmuth
, Einleitung in das Studium der alten Geschichte (1895); fragments in C. W. Müller
, Frag. hist. Graec. ii. 450-461.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
general and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
from Cardia
Cardia (Thrace)
Cardia , anciently the chief town of the Thracian Chersonese , was situated at the head of the gulf of Melas...
in Thrace, was a contemporary of Alexander the Great (354–250 BC).
After the death of Alexander he followed the fortunes of his friend and fellow-countryman Eumenes. He was wounded and taken prisoner by Antigonus
Antigonus I Monophthalmus
Antigonus I Monophthalmus , son of Philip from Elimeia, was a Macedonian nobleman, general, and satrap under Alexander the Great. During his early life he served under Philip II, and he was a major figure in the Wars of the Diadochi after Alexander's death, declaring himself king in 306 BC and...
, who pardoned him and appointed him superintendent of the asphalt beds in the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
. He was treated with equal friendliness by Antigonus's son Demetrius
Demetrius I of Macedon
Demetrius I , called Poliorcetes , son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus and Stratonice, was a king of Macedon...
, who made him polemarch of Thespiae
Thespiae
Thespiae was an ancient Greek city in Boeotia. It stood on level ground commanded by the low range of hills which runs eastward from the foot of Mount Helicon to Thebes, near modern Thespies.-History:...
, and by Antigonus Gonatas, at whose court he died at the age of 104.
He wrote a history of the Diadochi and their descendants, embracing the period from the death of Alexander to the war with Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos was a Greek general and statesman of the Hellenistic era. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house , and later he became king of Epirus and Macedon . He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome...
(323–272 BC), which is one of the chief authorities used by Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who flourished between 60 and 30 BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily . With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work, Bibliotheca...
(xviii.-xx.) and also by Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
in his life of Pyrrhus.
He made use of official papers and was careful in his investigation of facts. The simplicity of his style seemingly rendered his work unpopular to people of his time, but modern historians believe it was very good. In the last part of his work he made a praiseworthy attempt to acquaint the Greeks with the character and early history of the Romans. He is reproached by Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
(i. 9. 8) with unfairness towards all rulers with the exception of Antigonus Gonatas.
No significant amount of his work survived the end of the ancient world. Like the even more famous lost history of Alexander by Ptolemy I of Egypt
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter I , also known as Ptolemy Lagides, c. 367 BC – c. 283 BC, was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty...
, not one book, not one chapter has seen the light of day.
See Lucian
Lucian
Lucian of Samosata was a rhetorician and satirist who wrote in the Greek language. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature.His ethnicity is disputed and is attributed as Assyrian according to Frye and Parpola, and Syrian according to Joseph....
, Macrobii, 22; Plutarch, Demetrius, 39; Diod. Sic. xviii. 42. 44. 50, xix. i 09; Dion. Halic.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus
Dionysius of Halicarnassus was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Caesar Augustus. His literary style was Attistic — imitating Classical Attic Greek in its prime.-Life:...
Antiq. Rom. 1. 6; F Brückner, De vita et scriptis Hieronymi Cardii in Zeitschrift für die Alterthumswissenschaft (1842); F Reuss, Hieronymos von Kardia (Berlin, 1876); Charles Wachsmuth
Charles Wachsmuth
Charles Wachsmuth was an American paleontologist born in Hanover, Germany. Educated as a lawyer, he left his profession due to ill-health and emigrated to the United States. He settled in Burlington, Iowa where he became fascinated with the crinoid fossils found in the local limestone formations...
, Einleitung in das Studium der alten Geschichte (1895); fragments in C. W. Müller
Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Müller
Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Müller is best known for his still-useful Didot editions of fragmentary Greek authors, especially the monumental five-volume Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum , which is not yet completely superseded by the series Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker begun by Felix...
, Frag. hist. Graec. ii. 450-461.