Publilius Syrus
1st century BC Syrian-born Latin writer
- Lived
- 100 BC–100 BC
- Country
- Ancient Rome
Updated September 2026
About Publilius Syrus
Publilius Syrus was a Latin writer, best known for his sententiae. He was a Roman Syrian from Antioch who was brought as a slave to Roman Italy. Syrus was brought to Rome on the same ship that brought a certain Manilius Antiochus, astronomer, and Staberius Eros the grammarian. By his wit and talent, Syrus won the favour of his master, who granted him manumission and educated him. He became a member of the Publilia gens. Publilius' name, due to the palatalization of 'l' between two 'i's in the Early Middle Ages, is often presented by manuscripts in corrupt form as 'Publius', Publius being a very common Roman praenomen.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.