based on Greek sources and apparently interpolated, and an astronomical treatise in four
books are probably by C. Iulius Hyginus. De Astronomia ( probably not its original title),
dedicated to M. Fabius, certainly belongs to the Augustan period as proved by the lack of
astrological speculations, the lack of reference to G’ translation of A’
Phainomena (whereas the author knows C’s translation), the agreement with E-
, Catasterisms, and the fact that the author never uses the words astronomia nor
astronomus (well-attested at Nero’s time: Le Boeuffle [1983] ). The De Astronomia covers:
Book I, summary of cosmography and basic definitions for astronomy; Book II, catasterisms
and legends about 42 constellations, planets and the Milky Way; Book III, the position and
composition of these constellations; Book IV, in a more varied way, studies the circles of
heaven, spheres, nights and days, risings and settings of stars, and planets. This treatise does
not really innovate in the field of astronomy: it is not the work of an astronomer but of a
more or less enlightened compiler. It pretends to be a companion to initiate one to astronomy
and could take the place of Aratos’ Phainomena.
Hyginus certainly wrote a treatise on agriculture which is known to us through numerous
citations in C and Pliny; the citation de apibus may refer to part of this work, or a
separate work. The work seems to have been arranged as a doxography, with opinions
drawn from ancient authors grouped according to topic, such as the best soil for vines, the
feeding of oxen, the origin of bees, and treatments for apiary illnesses. Hyginus clearly
relied on books from the library which he oversaw for his information; nevertheless, his
treatise was regarded seriously, and Columella, 3.11.8, 11.3.62, reports testing a few of his
agricultural precepts, finding some that worked, and some that did not. His most original
contribution was a calendar of tasks for beekeepers, praised by Columella, 9.14, in which he
stressed the need to keep the hive clean, and listed various methods for eliminating pests.
Hyginus claims to have taken the dating system for his calendar from E and
M, but in this he was deceived, since the Babylonian convention he used of placing
the solstices at the eighth-degree of their respective zodiacal signs did not reach Greece before
the Hellenistic era. Moreover, Astronomia 4.2 refers to the same eighth-degree convention,
providing another connection between the two books.
Ed.: A. Le Boeuffle, Hygin: L’astronomie (CUF 1983); G. Viré, Hygini De astronomia (1992).
J. Christes, Sklaven und Freigelassene als Grammatiker und Philologen im antiken Rom (1979); Kaster (1995); BNP
6 (2005) 606–607, P.L. Schmidt and Helmuth Schneider.
Christophe Cusset and Philip Thibodeau
Iulius Secundus (ca 10 BCE – ca 90 CE)
A in G, CMGen 7.12 (13.1029 K.), cites his pore-relieving potion (ako-
pon) useful for sciatica, arthritis, and headaches, containing euphorbia (i.e., post I) as
well as myrrh, balsam-tree sap, etc., and labeled as “metasyncritic” ( pore-altering), a
Methodist term.
RE 10.1 (1918) 803 (#471), H. Gossen.
PTK
C. Iulius Solinus (230 – 240 CE)
Author of the Collectanea rerum memorabilium, a compendium of geographical information
borrowed mainly from P and P M. The work begins with a lengthy
C. IULIUS SOLINUS