It is only lately that I have come across Posidonius of Apamea (ca. 135 - 51 BCE), Stoic philosopher and acclaimed as the greatest polymath of his age. What an interesting personality! And what a shame that we have his work only in fragments. He lived during the final era of the Roman republic and was supposedly a friend of the exiled Rutilius Rufus, though I haven't found anything concrete yet on that issue. Cicero claims to have studied with him during his stay in Rhodes. Posidonius was the Rhodian ambassador to Rome in 87 - 86 BCE.
Wikipedia (as usual handle with care) has an extensive page on him. Jona Lendering has a brief note. The OCD, very informative, devotes several columns to Posidonius. (It also also contains the revealing tidbit that Cicero wanted Posidonius to write up his consulate, which the latter diplomatically declined.)
Online:
- The fragments (at Attalus): Poseidonius: fragments about history and geography.
- World map according to Posidonius, with explanatory text.
The above fragment selection is based on I.G. Kidd's translations of Posidonius; unfortunately the cost for these print editions is rather steep.
For JSTOR users, there are plenty of articles to peruse. I suggest a search under both spellings of his name.
Image: Bust of Posidonius from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli.
