AMPELIUS, LUCIUS author of a short encyclopaedic work Liber memorialis in fifty chapters covering such diverse subjects as cosmography (and astronomy), geography and ethnography, theology and especially history. Not much is known about the author; he probably lived around the turn of the third century C.E. In some of the historical chapters, particularly 12-13 and 30-31, reference is made to Iranian, that is, mainly Achaemenid and Parthian matters. Ampelius drew most of his information on Iran from Cornelius Nepos and Pompeius Trogus (and indirectly from Herodotus).
Bibliography:
Text edition by E. Assmann, Luccii Ameplii Liber memorialis. Stutgardiae 1976 (editio stereotypa editionis anni 1935).
G. Wissowa, “Ameplius 1,” in Pauly-Wissowa I/2, 1894, cols. 1880f.
J.M. Alonso-Núñez, “El Liber Memorialis de Lucius Ampelius,” Acta Classica Univ. Scient. Debrecen. 17-18, 1981-1982, 189-93 (status quaestionis).
Ph. Huyse, “Die Namen der sechs Mitverschworenen des Dareios im Liber Memorialis des Lucius Ampelius,” Acta Orientalia Belgica 7, ***
(Philip Huyse)
Originally Published: July 20, 2003
Last Updated: August 3, 2011
Cite this entry:Philip Huyse, “AMPELIUS, LUCIUS,” Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, 2012, available at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ampelius-lucius (accessed on 16 October 2012).
