*indicates authors whose works are now mostly fragmentary.
*Accius (second/first century bce) was a Roman playwright. He wrote on Greek and Roman myths and history.
Aelian (third century ce) was a Roman author who wrote on a variety of topics, in both poetry and prose. His work is so varied that it is difficult to describe; some scholars think his works are collections of culturally important anecdotes.
*Agathocles of Cyzicus (fourth century bce?) wrote local histories.
*Alcimus (fourth century bce) was a historian from Sicily.
*Annius Fetialis (first century ce?) was a Roman historian.
*Antigonus (third century bce) wrote both biographies and collections of marvels.
*Apollodorus is probably a reference to the second-century bce scholar.
*Apollodorus of Erythrae wrote sometime between the third and first centuries bce.
Aristotle the philosopher (fourth century bce) tutored Alexander the Great. Many of his writings on diverse topics survive; he mentions Rome only briefly.
*Ateius (first century bce) was a freed slave from Athens; he wrote at least one historical work.
Augustine (fourth/fifth century ce) was bishop of Hippo in northern Africa. He wrote numerous works, including several books against non-Christian beliefs. His work On the City of God was written in the early fifth century and is our greatest source for the Republican antiquarian Varro’s work on religion.
Aulus Gellius (second century ce) was the Roman author of a miscellany called the Athenian Nights. We know little about his life. His book embraces a wide variety of disciplines, but without a clear ordering principle beyond “learned information.”
*Caesar (first century bce) was an antiquarian. His praenomen was Lucius; Gaius (2.7.4) is a mistake.
Calpurnius Piso (second century bce) was a Roman historian. His work seems to promote Roman morals, as befits a censor.
*Caltinus has not been identified by modern scholars. The name may be a mistake for the Hellenistic Sicilian historian Callias.
Cassius Hemina (second century bce) was a Roman historian. His history covered the foundation myths until (probably) the Third Punic War. His work was especially rich in religious detail, which later antiquarians mined; very little of it survives.
*Cato the Elder (third/second century bce) was a Roman politician. He was the first member of his family to achieve the office of consul, one of the two heads of state. Cato was famous for stern morals in virtually every aspect of his life. His work Origins retold the foundation myths of Italian cities; unlike previous Roman historians, who wrote in Greek, Cato used his native Latin.
*Cephalon of Gergitha was a Hellenistic author; the name is a pseudonym.
Cicero (106–43 bce) was a Roman orator and politician. After a successful legal career, he was the first member of his family to reach the consulship. His political career was marked by highs and lows; in the low periods, he wrote books on oratory and statesmanship. The work On the State was written in the late 50s; On the Nature of the Gods and On Duties in the mid-40s. Cicero was murdered in the turbulent months that followed Caesar's assassination.
*Cincius Alimentus (late third century bce) was a Roman historian writing in Greek.
*Clinias has not been identified by modern scholars.
*Cornelius has not been securely identified.
Dio (Cassius)/Zonaras (second–third century ce/twelfth century ce) was a Roman senator. He wrote a history of Rome from Aeneas to his own day. Dio's history is preserved in excerpts by several authors. This book uses excerpts from Zonaras, a Byzantine monk.
*Diocles of Peparethus (fourth/third century bce) wrote the earliest known history of Rome.
Diodorus Siculus (first century bce) wrote a universal history in Greek, examining the history of the Mediterranean basin from the mythical period to his own day. Only 15 complete books survive out of an original 40; the rest are fragmentary. Diodorus’ work was, by necessity, brief and selective, but heavily researched and easy to follow. He seems to have written between c. 60 and c. 36 bce.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus (first century bce) tutored Roman noblemen in the early Principate. He wrote about rhetoric as well as Rome's mythic history; the Roman Antiquities was at least partially complete c. 7 bce. It covered the period from Aeneas to the First Punic War (c. 1200–264 bce) and aimed to show that Rome was a Greek city. Of the original 20 books, the first ten survive complete and the second ten are fragmentary.
*Domitius has not been identified by modern scholars.
*Egnatius has not been identified by modern scholars
*Ennius (third/second century bce) came from southern Italy; his generation was the first to be under Roman rule. He was connected to many politically important families of his day, and received Roman citizenship in 184 bce. His poem Annals related Roman history in epic verse for the first time.
*Eratosthenes was a scholar who lived in the third century bce. He wrote a variety of works, including geography and a world chronology.
Euripides (fifth century bce) was an Athenian playwright. His plays are considered intensely psychological.
*Fabius Pictor (third/second century bce) was the first Roman historian. His history was written in Greek. He was a member of the elite Fabian family, but we know few personal details. According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Fabius related the foundation myths in great detail, but aside from that focused on contemporary events.
Festus (second century ce) compiled a dictionary-encyclopedia of Roman customs. His work was based on a similar (but considerably longer) work by an Augustan-era antiquarian named Verrius Flaccus. The only surviving copy of the book has been damaged, which is why there are so many lacunae (gaps in the manuscript). The capitalized letters in the translation indicate dictionary headwords.
*Gabius Bassus was an author of the Late Republic.
*Galitas (third century bce?) wrote a history of Rome in Greek.
*Granius Licinianus (second century ce) was a Roman historian.
Hemina see Cassius Hemina.
*Heraclides Lembos (second century bce) was a Greek historian and philosopher.
*Heraclides Ponticus (first century ce) was a scholar living in Rome.
Herodotus (fifth century bce), the “father of history,” was from the Greek city of Halicarnassus in Asia Minor. His work Histories is primarily concerned with the Greco-Persian wars of the early fifth century, but includes a selection of other myths.
Homer (eighth century bce?) composed the Iliad and the Odyssey. The works were written down in the Hellenistic period.
Horace (first century bce) was a Roman poet. In the civil wars of the first century bce, Horace chose the wrong side. He was later pardoned. His work encompassed a variety of genres, but generally had a philosophical bent.
Hyginus was a freed slave living under Augustus (27 bce–14 ce). His works on astronomy and myth survive.
*Juba (first century bce/ce) was the king of Mauretania. He wrote several works of scholarship in Greek.
John Lydus (sixth century ce) was a public official in Constantinople. He was fluent in both Greek and Latin, which allowed him to write a series of antiquarian works about Roman religion and customs. It is not clear whether he was Christian, but most scholars assume that he was.
Justin see Pompeius Trogus.
Lactantius (third/fourth century ce) was a Christian apologist from North Africa. He studied rhetoric as a young man and put this rhetorical background to use in his religious and philosophical writings. Later Christian doctrine considered his views heretical. The Divine Institutes, which criticizes Greco-Roman culture in comparison to Christianity, was completed shortly before his death in 325.
*Licinius Macer (first century bce) retold early Roman history from a Euhemeristic and seemingly populist perspective.
Livy (first century bce) was a Roman historian from Padua. His massive work From the Foundation of the City was an annalistic history of Rome from Aeneas to Livy's own time. Of the original 142 books, only 35 remain complete; all of the material about early Rome survives in full. The popularity of From the Foundation gradually led to the loss of earlier Republican historians, whose less-complete histories stopped being copied.
*Lucilius (second century bce) was a Latin satirist.
*Lutatius (first century bce?) may have been a freed slave and historian.
Lycophron (date unknown) is the author of the poem Alexandra, one of the earliest Greek works to acknowledge Rome's importance. Major debates about his life exist: suggestions for dating the Alexandra range from the fourth century to c. 200 bce. The strong presence of Rome in the poem is more consistent with Rome's power in a later period.
Macrobius (early fifth century ce) can't be securely identified, but was probably a high-ranking official in Rome. His major work, the Saturnalia, was an antiquarian collection in the form of a dialogue. It focuses heavily on old-fashioned Roman traditions, suggesting that the author was not an adherent of the rising Christian religion.
*Naevius (third century bce) came from central Italy. He wrote primarily drama, including plays and an epic poem dealing with Roman history (including the myths of Aeneas and Romulus).
On the Origin of the Roman People is a work of unknown authorship. It probably dates to the fourth century ce. Its first half seems to use a Republican-era commentary on Vergil (similar to Servius); the second half cites more questionable authorities. The authenticity of these citations has been questioned.
Ovid (first century bce/ce) was a Roman poet of the early Principate. His work encompassed several genres, but had two broad themes: love poetry and myth. Roman myth appears in several of Ovid's works, but is the focus of the Fasti, a poem about the Roman calendar, and the last books of the Metamorphoses.
Pausanias (second century ce) wrote a guide to Greece. He traveled widely and recorded the famous sights of the places he visited, retelling the myths associated with them. Although he did not visit Italy, he relates several myths from the Greek cities of Magna Graecia.
*Piso see Calpurnius Piso.
Pliny the Elder (first century ce) was the author of a wide-ranging encyclopedia, the Natural History. This work encompassed insights from many different subdisciplines of the natural and social sciences. Although not explicitly intended as a mythological work, the Natural History includes much material that we consider mythical.
Plutarch (first/early second century ce) was a Greek author of wide-ranging interests. He was well-connected among the Roman elite and seems to have known Latin; he wrote works on Roman and Greek myth, religion, and history.
Pompeius Trogus/Justin (first century ce/ late fourth century ce) wrote a universal history under Augustus. Pompeius Trogus himself was a Gaul whose family received Roman citizenship in the first century bce. His work proceeded from East to West in chronological order. It survives only in the abridgement (epitome) written by Justin. Unusually for an epitomator, Justin extracted large portions of Trogus’ original work, probably including the portions on early Roman history.
*Procilius (first century bce) was a Roman antiquarian.
*Promathion (third century bce) was a Greek historian.
Propertius (first century bce) came from Umbria. Like many wealthy Romans of his era, he was caught in the turbulent circumstances of Rome's civil wars. His poetry is primarily elegiac love poetry, but in book 4 of his work he turns his attention to Roman myth as well.
*Sabinus Masurius was a lawyer in the reign of Tiberius (14–37 ce).
*Sammonicus (second/third century ce) was a Roman antiquarian.
Servius (auctus) (fourth century ce/seventh century ce) wrote a commentary on Vergil's Aeneid for Roman schoolchildren. The text has been passed down to us in two parts: the first is attributed to Servius, probably written c. 400, and seems to be an abridged version of an earlier commentary with some of Servius’ own additions. The author of the second part is unknown, but was probably writing in the early seventh century ce. This anonymous author drew on both Servius and Servius’ sources to construct his commentary. This book does not distinguish between the two authors. The capitalized letters in the translation indicate quotations from Vergil.
*Sextus Clodius was a Sicilian rhetorician of the first century bce.
*Sextus Gellius is probably a mistaken reference to Gnaeus Gellius, a second-century bce Roman historian.
*Simylos was a Hellenistic-era Greek poet.
Solinus (third/fourth century ce) was the writer of a varied work called the Collected Tales. He related myths, cultural traditions, and other information. The work is organized geographically, and the section on Italy provides valuable information on city founders. Little is known of Solinus outside of his book.
*Stesichorus (sixth century bce) was a Greek lyric poet from Sicily. He wrote a series of mythological works, which are mostly lost. The longest surviving fragments have been found on papyri. Although most of Stesichorus’ poems center on Greek mythic cycles, his recounting of Hercules’ struggle against Geryon (the Geryoneis) deals with events that took place in the western Mediterranean.
Strabo (first century bce/ce) was a Greek writer of the early Roman Principate. He wrote a work of history (now mostly lost) and a Geography of the Roman empire (mostly complete). The Geography draws in many cases upon first-hand knowledge of people and customs, and is intended as a practical guide to the traditions and peoples of the known world, including their myths.
Suetonius (second century ce) was an imperial biographer.
*Sulpicius Galba (first century bce/ce) was a Roman historian.
Tertullian (second/third century ce) was a Christian from North Africa. He received a complete Roman education, and was able to use his detailed knowledge of Roman culture and traditions to promote the superiority of Christianity in numerous works.
Tibullus (first century bce) was a Roman poet. We don't know much about his life. Several of his poems allude to myths.
Timaeus (fourth/third century bce) was a Greek historian from Sicily. He wrote a massive history of the western Greek world, including Rome, from its mythical beginnings to his own day. This work is now mostly lost.
*Valerius Antias (c. 80–60 bce) was a historian and major source for Livy. Scholars suspect that he integrated Valerian family myths into his work.
Varro (first century bce) was an immensely learned scholar of the late Republic. He wrote on a variety of topics, from farming to satire to linguistics; his output included both creative works and practical manuals. More than 60 titles are known, many of which are now lost.
Vergil (first century bce) wrote Rome's national epic, the Aeneid, as well as other poems. He was closely connected with the imperial household, and recited portions of the Aeneid to the emperor's family. The poem became a school text, learned by every educated Roman; graffiti from Pompeii suggest its pervasive influence.
Zonaras see Dio (Cassius).