Annibal Camoux

Who was Annibal Camoux?

Annibal Camoux was a former French soldier from Marseilles who was noted for his 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. Research, however, suggests he was born in 1669, meaning he was only 90 when he died.