Hostius was the author of an epic poem, Bellum Histricum, which was at least two books long. It is uncertain which Istrian war was the subject of this poem, but scholars generally consider the second war is more likely, as the first (178–7) had already been treated by Ennius in his Annales. Only seven fragments of Hostius' poem survive, but it was probably in the panegyric style which was common in the Hellenistic period.
