Joseph ben Solomon

Joseph ben Solomon probably lived in the tenth century, since Rashi, who lived in the eleventh, cites his Hanukkah poem as an authoritative source for determining the meaning of a word in scripture. According to one manuscript, he lived in a city called Karkasona, and based on this information, some scholars have situated him in Carcassonne, in southern France. However, given the difusion of his Hanukkah poem in northern France, Ashkenaz, and Rome, and his use of the Book of Josippon (Sefer Yosippon), it may be more likely that he lived in southern Italy.