Cassius Dionysius
Cassius Dionysius of Utica was an ancient Greek agricultural writer of the first century BC. The Roman nomen, Cassius, combined with the Greek cognomen, Dionysius, make it likely that he was a slave (perhaps a prisoner of war), originally Greek-speaking, who was owned and afterwards freed by a Roman of the gens Cassia. Dionysius compiled a farming manual in Greek, now lost. Its title was Georgika ("Agriculture"); it was divided into twenty books, and was dedicated by its author to the Roman praetor Sextilius in 89 or 88 BC. According to Columella, who referred to the work in his own surviving De Agricultura ("On Farming"), an amount equivalent to eight books of Cassius Dionysius' work, two-fifths of the whole, was translated from a preceding work in Punic by Mago.
Also recorded as Cassius Dionysius Uticensis · Dionysius of Utica
Cassius Dionysius
- Born
- 99. · Utica.
- Died
- 100.
- Nationality
- Ancient Rome.
- Occupation
- translator and writer.
- Languages
- Ancient Greek.
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Documentary summary
Cassius Dionysius of Utica was an ancient Greek agricultural writer of the first century BC. The Roman nomen, Cassius, combined with the Greek cognomen, Dionysius, make it likely that he was a slave (perhaps a prisoner of war), originally Greek-speaking, who was owned and afterwards freed by a Roman of the gens Cassia. Dionysius compiled a farming manual in Greek, now lost. Its title was Georgika ("Agriculture"); it was divided into twenty books, and was dedicated by its author to the Roman praetor Sextilius in 89 or 88 BC. According to Columella, who referred to the work in his own surviving De Agricultura ("On Farming"), an amount equivalent to eight books of Cassius Dionysius' work, two-fifths of the whole, was translated from a preceding work in Punic by Mago.
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gnd · 100108237 · wikidata · Q730789 · wikipedia · Cassius Dionysius
In this article
Biography
Biography
After Rome's destruction of Carthage in 146 BC, the Carthaginian libraries were given to the kings of Numidia, but Mago's work was considered too important to lose. It was brought to Rome and Decimus Junius Silanus was commissioned by the Roman Senate to translate it into Latin. Whether Cassius Dionysius worked independently, or on the basis of Silanus's work, is not known; however, his residence in Utica, in formerly Carthaginian North Africa, leads to the suggestion that he knew Punic as well as Greek and Latin. Compilation is occasionally cited by later authors, but its length rendered it unpopular. It was soon afterwards abridged by Diophanes of Nicaea, whose version was divided into six books. The following is a partial list of fragments of Cassius Dionysius' work: • Greek names of the winds and their importance to the farmer. • How to select labourers for hire. • Types of manure. • Mules sometimes foal in Africa. Mules and mares foal in the twelfth month after conception. • Notes on farmyard animals. • Two names for leeks.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
100
Cassius Dionysius died.
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q730789: Cassius Dionysius
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 100108237, Cassius, Dionysius.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- “Cassius Dionysius”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
References
Citations
References
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Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q730789: Cassius DionysiusWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 100108237, Cassius, Dionysius.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
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His recorded language was Ancient Greek.
Identity and origins
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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