Hostius was the author of an epic poem, ''Bellum Histricum'', which was at least two books long. It is uncertain which Istrian war was the subject of this poem, but scholars generally consider the second war (129 BC) is more likely, as the first (178–7) had already been treated by Ennius in his '' Annales''. Only seven fragments of Hostius' poem survive, but it was probably in the

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

style which was common in the Hellenistic period. Based on a reference to a ''doctus avus'' ("learned ancestor") in a poem by

Propertius Sextus Propertius was a Latin elegiac poet of the Augustan age. He was born around 50–45 BC in Assisium and died shortly after 15 BC. Propertius' surviving work comprises four books of ''Elegies'' ('). He was a friend of the poets Gallus a ...

, many scholars believe that his lover Cynthia – whose real name was apparently Hostia – was descended from Hostius. Edward Courtney doubts this, arguing that the girl addressed in the poem is not Cynthia.

References

Roman-era poets 2nd-century BC poets {{AncientRome-poet-stub