Annibal Camoux
Encyclopedia
Annibal Camoux was a former French
soldier
from Marseilles who was noted for his amazing longevity. Most researchers, including French historian Louis Thibaux, consider this an unverified longevity claim.
A former soldier in the service of the King of France, according to his biography, Camoux reached age 100
without losing his strength, which he attributed to his practice of chewing Angelica
root. He claimed to have gained his knowledge of herbs from the naturalist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1681.
He enlisted in the French army aged 12 and said he took part in the construction of Fort St Nicolas in 1660.
Louis XV allocated a pension to him. In 1755 the Cardinal Belloy, Bishop of Marseille, visited him. Several artists painted his portrait, among them Claude Joseph Vernet, who painted him in the port of Marseilles.
Annibal Camoux died in 1759 in Marseilles, at the claimed age
of 121. Recent research, however, suggests he was born in 1669, meaning he was only 90 when he died.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
from Marseilles who was noted for his amazing longevity. Most researchers, including French historian Louis Thibaux, consider this an unverified longevity claim.
A former soldier in the service of the King of France, according to his biography, Camoux reached age 100
Centenarian
A centenarian is a person who is or lives beyond the age of 100 years. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only...
without losing his strength, which he attributed to his practice of chewing Angelica
Angelica
Angelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far North as Iceland and Lapland...
root. He claimed to have gained his knowledge of herbs from the naturalist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1681.
He enlisted in the French army aged 12 and said he took part in the construction of Fort St Nicolas in 1660.
Louis XV allocated a pension to him. In 1755 the Cardinal Belloy, Bishop of Marseille, visited him. Several artists painted his portrait, among them Claude Joseph Vernet, who painted him in the port of Marseilles.
Annibal Camoux died in 1759 in Marseilles, at the claimed age
Longevity claims
Longevity claims assert extreme human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarian. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence...
of 121. Recent research, however, suggests he was born in 1669, meaning he was only 90 when he died.