Trogus

Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus was a Roman historian active during the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE, living under the reign of Emperor Augustus and roughly contemporary with Livy. Born into a Gallic family of the Vocontii in southern Gaul, Trogus’ ancestors gained Roman citizenship through Pompey the Great, whose name they adopted. His father and uncle both served in the armies of Pompey and Julius Caesar, while his uncle, a cavalry commander, took part in the eastern campaign against Mithridates in the mid-60s BCE (Yardley 1994: 2).

Trogus authored the Philippic Histories, a comprehensive history tracing the succession of empires from the Assyrians to the Romans, with special attention to the Macedonian and Hellenistic worlds. Although the original work has been lost, its substance is preserved in the abridged Epitome compiled by Justinus. According to Yardley (1994: 3–4), Justinus composed his Epitome between 144 and 230 CE, while the final version of Trogus’ Philippic Histories (Historiae Philippicae) likely dates to the early years of the Christian era, perhaps around 20 CE.