Sextus Pompeius Festus is the author of a Latin lexicon of the Roman imperial period known as De Verborum Significationibus (“On the Meaning of Words”).
Festus the man is obscure; even the elements of his name are uncertain. The hypothesis that he came from Gaul largely derives from an entry in a mid-twelfth century monastic catalogue at Cluny which records a liber Festi Pompeii ad Arcorium Rufum, identified as a descendant of the grammarian C. Artorius Proculus, whom Festus cites. Inscriptions at Narbonne may also suggest a connection between the two families (CIL 12.4412, 12.5066). However, Festus’ Gallic origin remains unproven.
Festus probably lived during the later second century …
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