Promathion the Historian (Προμαθίων ὁ ἱστορικός) was a Hellenistic author of the 3rd century BCE. No details of his origin or life survive beyond his authorship of a historical work.

His sole known work is the Italika (Ἰταλικά), a prose history of Italy. The text is lost, preserved only in fragments quoted by later authors like Dionysius of Halicarnassus [1].

Promathion’s significance lies in his role as a source for early Roman and Italian legends. Dionysius cites his version of the Romulus and Remus myth, which incorporated the hero Hercules [1]. His work represents Hellenistic local historiography that connected Italian traditions to Greek mythology, and he is referenced in modern scholarship on variants of Roman foundation myths [1].

Sources 1. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities (Perseus Digital Library): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0071%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D73%3Asection%3D3