The Account of Perseus in Orosius: Sources and Precedents

Abstract

Orosius includes a note on the hero Perseus that neglects the usually prominent features of his myth, saying little more than that Perseus led an expedition into Asia and, once victorious, named the people he conquered there Persians after himself. He is the earliest of the surviving Latin authors to say either of these things about Perseus. And he is apparently the first author to combine these pieces of information – until, that is, John Malalas, who says much the same things about Perseus not once, but twice. This paper will survey Orosius’ usual sources for possible influences, trace the development of the notions that Perseus invaded Asia and that the Persians were named for him, and explore the possibility that Orosius and Malalas might have shared a source on Perseus and the history of Assyria.