Origins & Early Life

Lucius Cincius Alimentus (fl. about 200 BC) was a celebrated Roman annalist, jurist, and provincial official. He is principally remembered as one of the founders of Roman historiography, although his Annals has been lost and is only known from fragments in other works. L.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Cincius Alimentus was part of the Cincia clan of ancient Rome. He served as praetor in Sicily 210 BC and as propraetor in 209 BC, again in Sicily, commanding two legions. His most important legislation was the Cincian Law (Lex Cincia), which forbade the acceptance of payment for legal services. Alimentus was captured in one of the early battles of the Second Punic War. He spent years as a prisoner of the Carthaginian general Hannibal, who—according to Alimentus's later account—confided in the Roman the details of his crossing of the Alps.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He is last attested as an envoy in 208 BC. Scholar Bruce W. Frier mentions that none of the envoys are heard of again in the written records, and argues that the legation may have been captured while in Bruttium, Alimentus' release thus resulting from the peace treaty after Zama. L. Cincius Alimentus wrote principally in Greek. According to Frier, Alimentus...

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