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Fremec, I. “On the habitus of Pompeius Trogus: Romans and Gauls in the work of a “Romanized” Gaul”.  Živa Antika / Antiquité Vivante 75.1-2 (2025), pp. 203–226.

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Abstract. – Pompeius Trogus was an acculturated Gaul whose life and work date to the second half of the 1st century BCE. He is the author of Historiae Philippicae (i.e., Philippic History), which survives only in epitomized form (the Epitoma Historiarum Philippicarum) by Justin, a Roman rhetor about whom we know almost nothing. Precisely because the information on the author is scant and we have little insight into his habitus, it is difficult to discern his intentions, motivation, and intended audience – data that are essential for gaining a rounded view of this work. This paper explores the complex social habitus of Pompeius Trogus based on information gleaned from Justin’s epitome and other available sources, combining these findings with linguistic research into the epitome in order to shed clearer light on the issue at hand. The study also focuses on how the epitome portrays the Gauls, about whom we learn the most in Book 24, which deals with their campaign against Delphi in 279 BCE. Since Pompeius Trogus was of Gallic origin and undoubtedly carried Hellenistic influences within himself, an investigation of the discourse on the Gauls (and on the Romans) in the epitome, as well as uncovering Trogus’ habitus in light of the social theory colloquially termed “salad bowl” (here referring to a multicultural, heterogeneous society under the shared denominator of Rome), provides a fresh contribution to the study of this topic. Pompeius Trogus emerges as a Roman and a member of the Roman elite, but with a complex Hellenistic value system and a Gallic heritage, upon which he based his writing.
Key words. – Pompeius Trogus, Historiae Philippicae, Marcus Iunius Justinus, Gauls, Romans