Quintus Claudius Quadrigarius

Quintus Claudius Quadrigarius, Roman annalist, living probably in the 1st century BC, wrote a history, in at least twenty-three books, which began with the conquest of Rome by the Gauls (ca. 390 BC) and went on to the time of Sulla (fr. 84: 82 BC). The Clodius mentioned in Plutarch's Life of Numa 1.2 is probably identical to Quadrigarius.

Along with annalist Valerius Antias, Livy freely used Quadrigarius as a major source in part of his work (from the sixth book onwards). A substantial fragment is preserved in Aulus Gellius (ix. 13), giving an account of the famous single combat between T. Manlius Torquatus and a Gaul. The judgement of Quadrigarius' historical work varied. He was appreciated for his archaizing style in the 2nd century AD, but others thought that his language was antiquated and his style dry. His work was considered very important especially for the contemporary history he narrates. The fragments of his work are collected in H. Peter "Historicorum Romanorum Reliquiae" ("HRR" 1.205-237).

References

W. Kierdorf in "Brill's New Pauly" s.v. Claudius [I 30] A. Klotz, 'Der Annalist Q. Claudius Quadrigarius.' "Rheinische Museum" 91 (1942) 268-285. E. Badian, "The Early Historians" in T. Dorey (ed.) "Latin Historians" (1966) 1-38.

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