DION CA'SSIUS COCCEIA'NUS, or Cocceitte, was the son of Cassius Apronianus, a Roman senator, and born at Nieto in Dithynia about A.D. 155. On his mother's Fide he was descended from Dion Chrysostom, and It was from this branch of his family that ha took the name of Dion. Thus though he was ou his mother's side of Creek descent, and though iu his writings be adopted the then prevailing language of his native province, be must be considered as a Roman.
Under Commodes ho lived in Rome, where ho enjoyed the rank of senator. After the death of Septimius Severus and Camelia, uudor whom ho held no public office, be was made governor of Smyrna and Pergamus by Macrinus. Ile was afterwards consul and proconsul in the provinces of Africa and Pannonia, probably under Alexander Severus (Suidas, Alba), who esteemed him so highly as to make him consul for the second time with himself. In his old ago be is said to have returned to his native country. (Piloting, ' Dion Cassius.') Dion wrote a history of Rome in Greek, from the arrival of ilmeas in Italy and the foundation of Alba and Rome to A.D. 229. To the time of Julius Caesar his history was only a rapid sketch, but from that date, and more particularly from the time of Commodes, when he is a contemporary writer, his narrative is very complete. Of the first 36 books there are only fragments extant; but there is a consider able fragment of the 35th book on the war of Lucullus against Mithridatea, and of the 36th, on the war with the Pirates and the expedition of' Pompey against. Mithridates. The following books to the 54th inclusive are nearly all entire; they comprehend a period from n.e. 65 to ac. 10, or from the eastern campaign of Pompey and the death of Mithridates to the death of Agrippa. The 55th book has a considerable gap in it. The 5Gth to the 60th, both iueludod, which comprehend the period from A.D. 9 to 54, are complete, and contain the events from the defeat of Varos in Germany to the reign of Claudius. Of the following 20 books we have only fragments, and the meagre abridgment of Xiphilinus. The 80th or last book com prehends the period from A.D. 222 to 229, in the reign of Alexander Severus. The abridgment of Xiphilinus, as now extant, commences with the 35th and continues to the end of the 80th book : it is a very indifferent performance.
The fragments of the first 36 Looks, as now collected, are—I, those called Valesiana,' which were collected by Henri of Valois from various scholiasts, lexicographers, and grammarians; 2, the 'Fragment, a Peireseiaus,' taken from the great work or compilation of Coustan tinus Porphyrogenetus Ilisrontasts) ; 3, ' Fregment a Ursiniana,' also taken from the same compilation of Consuntinus Porphyrogeuetus ; 4, 'Excerpta Vaticana,' by Mai, which contain fragments of books 1-35 and 6140, have been published iu the second volume of the ' Scriptorum Veternm Nova Collectio,' pp. 135-233. To these are added the fragments of an unknown
cootinuator of Dion (pp. 234-246), which go down to the time of Constantino. Other fragmeuts from Dion, belongiug chiefly to the first 35 books, also published in the same collection (pp. 527-567), were found by Mai in two Vatican manuscriptsrwhicli contain a sylloge or collection made by Maximus Planudes.
The annals of Zonaras contain numerous extracts from Dion.
Dion as an historian is not characterised by any great critical power or judgment; iudeed hie own remarks are sometimes trifling. His etyle is generally clear, though there are occasionally obscure passages where there appears to Le no corruption in the text. His diligence is unquestionable, and from his opportunities he was well acquainted with the circumstancee of the empire during the period for which he is a contemporary authority, and indeed we may amigo a high value to his history of tho whole period from the time of Augustus to his own age. Nor is his history without value for the earlier periods of Roman history, in which, though he has fallen into errors, like all the Greek and Roman writers who have handled the same obscure subject, ho still enables us to correct some erroneous statements of Livy and Dionysiue.
Other writings are attributed to Dion; among them a life of Arrian by Suidas.
The first edition of the Greek text of Dion was by IL Stepheus, Paris, 1548, foL, from one manuscript, and that very incorrect and defective. Betweeu this edition and that of Belmar there were several editions. J. Alb. Fabricius undertook a new edition of Dion, but dying before he had completed his labour, his papers came iuto the hands of Ii. S. Reimer, his eon-in-law, who published the new edition at Hamburg, 1751-52, 2 vols. fol., with a Latin translation. The edition of Reimer is valuable, as he availed himself of the labours of all his predecessors, arranged the fragments in order, and improved the text and translation, to which ho added notes. Some fragments were afterwards discovered in a manuscript in the library of St. Mark, by Morelli, and published by him at Bassano in 1798, 8vo. They were reprinted at Paris in 1800, fol., iu a form to accompany the edition of Reiman The small Tauchnitz print of Dion Cassius, 4 vole. 10:no, contains the fragments. The most recent, and perhaps most useful edition is by F. W. Sturz, Leipzig, 1824-25, 8 vols. 8vo ; a ninth volume, published in 1843, contains the Excerpta Vaticana,' dis covered and Prat published by Mai.