nepos

Nepos most commonly refers to Cornelius Nepos, a Roman biographer of the late Republic. He is generally dated to the 1st century BCE, with modern scholars placing him in the period surrounding Julius Caesar’s era. Very little about his life is known beyond what he states in his works and a few later references, making him one of the earliest identifiable Roman biographers and an important figure in the early development of Latin biography.

His principal work, De viris illustribus (On Famous Men), was a collection of short biographies of eminent Greek and Roman figures. The complete work has not survived; our knowledge of it comes from later quotations and references in other authors. The biographies are characterized by concise, direct Latin and a focus on moral character and notable achievements rather than extensive narrative. The surviving material indicates an aim to provide models of virtue and achievement for educated readers.

Influence and style: Nepos helped establish a concise, readable biographical form in Latin. His approach influenced later biographers, including Plutarch and Suetonius, who drew on earlier traditions and adapted them to their own centuries. Through his works, classical figures were transmitted to subsequent generations in a compact, evaluative form that shaped the Latin biographical tradition.

Name: The Latin word nepos means “grandson” or “descendant,” and it is the origin of the surname Nepos. The term also appears as a linguistic and historical element in Roman naming and later scholarship.