Ablabius (historian)
Ablabius (lived around 4th-5th-century AD) was a historian of the Goths.
Who Ablabius was and exactly how he lived is not known. Since Jordanes relies on his work when writing Getica, he must have lived some time before the 6th-century AD or even the 5th-century AD. It has been suggested that the work of Ablabius was the first written history of the Goths, and that this formed the basis of a more detailed account written by Cassiodorus. It is likely that Jordanes used the work of Ablabius directly, but an intermediate source can not be ruled out either. According to Jordanes the work of Ablabius relied on folk songs and legends.
References
- Peter J. Heather: Goths and Romans 332–489. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-820535-X, S. 361 (Index).
- John H. W. G. Liebeschuetz: Making a Gothic History: Does the Getica of Jordanes preserve genuinely Gothic Traditions?. In: Journal of Late Antiquity 4, 2011, S. 185–216.
- Otto Seeck: Ablabius 3). In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (RE). Band I,1, Stuttgart 1893, Sp. 103 f.
- Gillett, Andrew (2000). "Jordanes and Ablabius". Studies in Latin Literature and Roman History. X: 479–500. Retrieved Jan 22, 2021.