Life Theotimus of Tomi (Θεότιμος ὁ Τομέως) was a late antique historian from the city of Tomi on the Black Sea coast. He is known solely from a citation by the 5th-century church historian Socrates Scholasticus, which places his life and work in the late 4th or early 5th century CE [1]. Socrates records that Theotimus wrote a history of the Goths, specifically detailing their conversion to Christianity during the era of the Arian bishop Ulfilas [1]. No further biographical details survive.

Works His only attested work is a lost History of the Goths (likely titled Γοτθικὴ ἱστορία or similar), cited for its account of the Christianization of the Gothic people [1].

Significance Theotimus is significant as a lost source. His work provided an early Roman provincial perspective on the Goths and was used as an authority by Socrates Scholasticus. His location in Tomi, a city directly affected by Gothic settlements, suggests his history contained valuable local testimony on Gothic-Roman relations and the spread of Arian Christianity.

Sources 1. Perseus Digital Library: Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, Book 4, Chapter 33. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0152%3Abook%3D4%3Achapter%3D33