• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

Dio Cassius (1 Viewer)

Louis XIV

New Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2007
Messages
3
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
Was wondering if anyone knew why Dio Cassius account of the Vesuvius eruption is unreliable.

Thank you thank you thank you... thanks
 

prettypinkheart

New Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Messages
19
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
I read in a book that his account was unreliable because:
- His sources are unknown
- Probably using his own experiences of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 202 when he claimed to have heard the detonation as far away as Capua

Hope that helps.
 

Shoelia

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Messages
31
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Yeh he wasn't alive at the time.

I'm not sure if it was him, might have been someone else, but the only copy we have is a medieval source, so it could have been changed or lost in translation.
 

~Fire Jade~

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2008
Messages
219
Location
Take 3 guesses.
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2008
Apparently, Dio Cassius really enjoyed putting lovely, false, irrelevent snippets of gossip into his works...therefore his work should be considered with care. Hey also, is his name Cassius Dio or Dio Cassius?
 

Faesy

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
16
Location
Port Macquarie
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
I think its Cassius Dio and its true, he made up stories about people and like to exaggerate a fair bit more than other sources.
 

stillwaters

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
130
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
^ yea, dio cassius/ cassius dio kinda... said things were true if there was the slightest possibility they were true...
another source for the eruption of ad 79 is pliny the younger- he was watching it from i think either misenum or something and he had to flee. also, his uncle pliny the elder decided to go off and investigate via going on a boat towards the vulcano (hmm... slightly um... stupid?) and then he died.
i think it was a letter to someone, and it's from his description of the cloud of ash and crap, the different stages of the eruption that modern hisotirans are able to piece together what probably happened. however, there's some things that make it a bit unreliable e.g. he's writing it about 20 or 30 yrs after he experienced it, he's also trying to immortalise his uncle and make him into some great hero... so maybe exaggeration? also uses lots of sparkly language like comparing the eruption to storm gods or something running around (???)
mmm... sorry for the chunk of writing... >< yep, dio's unreliable ^^
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top