author
of Damascus Nicolaus
A scholar from the ancient city of Damascus, he moved through the worlds of kings and emperors as a historian, philosopher, and diplomat. Though most of his writing is lost, what survives offers a rare window into the age of Herod and Augustus.
1 Audiobook
Nicolaus of Damascus' life of Augustus : Translated with a commentary
by of Damascus Nicolaus
About the author
Born around 64 BCE, Nicolaus of Damascus was a Greek-speaking historian, philosopher, and statesman from Damascus. Ancient sources describe him as a highly educated writer with wide interests, and later reference works note that he produced an enormous body of work, including history, philosophy, and biography.
He is especially associated with the court of Herod the Great, where he served as an adviser and envoy. His career eventually brought him into contact with Augustus, placing him close to some of the most powerful figures of the late Hellenistic and early Roman world.
Most of Nicolaus's writings have not survived intact, but he is still remembered for a vast universal history, a life of Augustus, and an autobiographical work preserved in fragments. Those surviving pieces have made him an important source for historians studying the politics and personalities of the early Roman Empire and the eastern Mediterranean.