Diomedes Grammaticus was a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

grammarian who probably lived in the late 4th century AD. He wrote a grammatical treatise, known either as ''De Oratione et Partibus Orationis et Vario Genere Metrorum libri III'' or '' Ars grammatica'' in three books, dedicated to a certain Athanasius. Since he is frequently quoted by Priscian (e.g. lib. ix. pp. 861, 870, lib. x. 879, 889, 892), he must have lived before the year 500. His third book on poetry is particularly valuable, containing extracts from

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is ''De vita Caesarum'', common ...

's ''De poetica''. This book contains one of the most complete lists of types of

dactylic hexameter Dactylic hexameter is a form of meter used in Ancient Greek epic and didactic poetry as well as in epic, didactic, satirical, and pastoral Latin poetry. Its name is derived from Greek (, "finger") and (, "six"). Dactylic hexameter consists o ...

s in antiquity, including the ''teres versus'', which may (or may not) be the so-called " golden line." Diomedes wrote about the same time as Charisius and used the same sources independently. The works of both grammarians are valuable, but whereas much of Charisius has been lost, the ''Ars'' of Diomedes has come down to us complete (although probably abridged). In book I he discusses the eight parts of speech; in II the elementary ideas of grammar and of style; in III poetry, quantity, and meters. The best edition is in H. Keil's ''Grammatici Latini'', vol I.

References

*''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

'' (1849), v. 1, p. 1026 *"Diomedes" in , ''Guardians of Language: The Grammarian and Society in Late Antiquity'', The Transformation of the Classical Heritage, volume 11, Berkeley-Los Angeles-London: University of California Press, 1988 *This entry incorporates material from the respective 1911 ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'' article

External links

Corpus Grammaticorum Latinorum: complete texts and full bibliography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grammaticus, Diomedes Grammarians of Latin Ancient linguists 4th-century Romans 4th-century writers in Latin