Hieronymus of Cardia

Hieronymus of Cardia (Thrace), Greek general and historian, contemporary of Alexander the Great (354-250 BC)

After the death of the king he followed the fortunes of his friend and fellow-countryman Eumenes. He was wounded and taken prisoner by Antigonus, who pardoned him and appointed him superintendent of the asphalt beds in the Dead Sea. He was treated with equal friendliness by Antigonus's son Demetrius, who made him polemarch of Thespiae, and by Antigonus Gonatas, at whose court he died at the age of 104.

He wrote a history of the Diadochi and their descendants, embracing the period from the death of Alexander to the war with Pyrrhus (323-272 BC), which is one of the chief authorities used by Diodorus Siculus (xviii.-xx.) and also by Plutarch in his life of Pyrrhus.

He made use of official papers and was careful in his investigation of facts. The simplicity of his style seemingly rendered his work unpopular to people of his time, however modern historians believe it was very good. In the last part of his work he made a praiseworthy attempt to acquaint the Greeks with the character and early history of the Romans. He is reproached by Pausanias (i. 9. 8) with unfairness towards all rulers with the exception of Antigonus Gonatas.

No significant amount of his work survived the end of the ancient world. Like the even more famous lost history of Alexander by Ptolemy I of Egypt, not one book, not one chapter has seen the light of day.

See Lucian, "Macrobii", 22; Plutarch, "Demetrius", 39; Diod. Sic. xviii. 42. 44. 50, xix. i 09; Dion. Halic. "Antiq. Rom." 1. 6; F Brückner, "De vita et scriptis Hieronymi Cardii" in "Zeitschrift für die Alterthumswissenschaft" (1842); F Reuss, "Hieronymos von Kardia" (Berlin, 1876); Charles Wachsmuth, "Einleitung in das Studiuni der alten Geschichte" (1895); fragments in CW Müller, "Frag. hist. Graec." ii. 450-461.