Sostratos of

Aegina Aegina (; el, Αίγινα, ''Aígina'' ; grc, Αἴγῑνα) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the hero Aeacus, who was born ...

( el, Σώστρατος ὁ Αιγινήτης), son of Laodamus, is reported by

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...

as a famous merchant in the sixth century BC Hellenic world - indeed to have gained "the biggest profit any Greek trader we have reliable information about has ever made from his cargo".

Veracity of Herodotus's account

The veracity of Herodotus has often been challenged, both in ancient and modern times, and the instance of his casual reference to Sostratus as a well known presence is something of a test case. A previously otherwise unknown and perhaps legendary figure, Sostratus has received increasing validation from modern archeology. A stone anchor dedicated to

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

Gravisca Gravisca (''Cravsca'' in Etruscan and ''Graviscae'' Latin) was the port of the Etruscan city of Tarquinii, situated 8 km west of the city center. The Etruscan settlement, occupied ca. sixth to third centuries BC, had four principal occupation ...

(the port of the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

city of

Tarquinii Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscans, Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropolis, necropoleis, or cemeteries, for which it was awarded World ...

) is for example thought to have been dedicated by Sostratos: it can now be seen at the museum there. The names of Sostratus and Laodamus – perhaps his grandfather and father – have been found in Egypt, supporting the view of his coming from an important family of international Aegina traders. Moreover, clay storage jars are found throughout Etruscan archaeological sites of the period marked with the Aeginetan letters "SO", which may have stood for Sostratos, and are often presumed to be the packaging in which his goods were delivered. Not all scholars, however, accept that the marks on these jars refer to the Sostratos of Herodotus, and they (like the anchor) may again attest only to the kindred network, not the man. Nevertheless, the cumulative weight of confirmation for Herodotus as referring to a well-known figure in the Greek world is impressive.R Waterfield trans., ''Herodotus: The Histories'' (Oxford 1998) p. 659

Notes

References

*Tim Cornell, ''The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars, C.1000-263 BC'', Routledge, 1995, Ancient Aeginetans Ancient Greek merchants Archaic Greece 6th-century BC Greek people {{AncientGreece-bio-stub

Veracity of Herodotus's account

See also

Notes

References