Annibal Camoux (1638? – 1759) was a French soldier from

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

who was noted for his longevity. Most researchers, including French historian Louis Thibaux, consider this an unverified longevity claim. A former soldier in the service of the

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

, according to his biography, Camoux reached age 100 without losing his strength, which he attributed to his practice of chewing ''

Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 90 species of tall Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous, herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as ...

'' root. He claimed to have gained his knowledge of herbs from the naturalist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1681. He enlisted in the French army aged 12 and said he took part in the construction Fort St Nicolas in 1660.http://www.ilab.org/db/book1162_1348.html

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

allocated a pension to him. In 1755 the Cardinal Belloy, Bishop of Marseille, visited him. Several artists painted his portrait, among them Claude Joseph Vernet, who painted him in the port of Marseille. Annibal Camoux died in 1759 in

, at the claimed age of 121. Research, however, suggests he was born in 1669, meaning he was only 90 when he died. ''L'entrée du port de Marseille'' (1754) by Claude Joseph Vernet is part of a series of 15 representations of French sea ports commissioned by

King Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

and realized between 1754 and 1765. The booklet of the 1755 art show gave some information: ''Entrance of Marseilles Harbour. We can see the Fort St. Jean and Citadelle Saint Nicolas which protects this entrance.... on the foreground, the author has painted a portrait of a man which is 117 years old with a good health.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Camoux, Annibal 1759 deaths Longevity claims French Army soldiers Year of birth uncertain