De viris illustribus urbis Romae

Last updated

The anonymous work De viris illustribus urbis Romae (English: Famous Men of Rome) is the only work in Latin literature to offer an outline of Roman history in the form of 86 short biographies from the founding of the city to the Principate of Augustus. [1] [2] Contrary to what the title suggests, however, not only famous commanders and politicians are included, but also illustrious female figures (13: Cloelia; 46: Claudia; 86: Cleopatra) and outstanding enemies of Rome (42: Hannibal; 54: Antiochos III; 76: Mithridates VI). There is no discernible difference between Romans and non-Romans or positive and negative figures. In terms of type and structure, the writing fits best into the context of the late antique breviaries of the 4th century (Periochae, Eutrop, Rufius Festus, etc.), so that a writing in the 4th century seems plausible. [3]

Contents

The biographical character of the Viri illustres is most clearly visible in the vitae of the seven kings, in which lineage and accession to the throne, internal and external achievements, and finally the end of life form the guiding points of view. The focus within the 'republican' biographies, on the other hand, is on the achievements of the individual figures and persons for the res publica Romana. Thus, triumphs as well as honours by the state, whether during life in the form of gold wreaths, land and statues, or after death through state funerals and state mourning, are often noted. The guiding principle in individual cases is the respective cursus honorum , but this principle is not consistently followed through. The individual character sketch is consistently reduced to sparse notes or exemplary dicta and facta. [4] The Viri illustres thus singularly represent the type of so-called exempla biography. [5]

Structure and language

The arrangement or sequence of the individual chapters essentially follows the historical chronology, which in individual cases, however, is overlaid by genealogical or other factual references or interrupted by gross violations. [6] [7] The simple style and unpretentious language correspond to the concise informative character of the text. Characteristic is a style that dispenses with longer sentence periods and more detailed hypotaxes. Asyndetic enumerations and sentence cola are conspicuous, the tautness of which has sometimes led to logical inconsistencies. Characteristic of the lack of stylisation is the use of stereotypical phrases and technical terms, and in some cases the repetition of individual conjunctions, longer passages and even entire sentences. All in all, the text cannot be denied that it is based on classical Latin, but linguistic and stylistic inconsistencies as well as elements of a later use of language cannot be overlooked. [8]

Sources

The abundance of details clearly distinguishes the Viri illustres from the late antique breviaries and compendia. Although researchers have long attributed the Viri illustres to the Livian tradition, it is now assumed that it is an independent historical tradition independent of the historiography of Titus Livius, for which a template from the Late Republic can be deduced, which worked with the same material as Titus Livius and Dionysus of Halicarnassus. In writing his biographies, the unknown author of the Viri illustres most likely did not write out and combine several different sources, but only worked on a single, biographically structured template. [9] The significant similarities with the Liber memorialis of Lucius Ampelius, [10] but above all with the elogia of the Forum of Augustus, [11] [12] also point to an author from the circle of the first princeps, who can possibly be identified with his librarian and antiquary C. Iulius Hyginus. [13] [14]

Transmission

The tradition is based on two text families, a shorter one with 78 biographies, which ends with the death of Pompeius (77,9), and a longer version in 86 biographies, which most likely represents the original text length. [15] The latter forms the middle part of the so-called Corpus Aurelianum, which an unknown editor probably compiled in the second half of the 4th century by merging the so-called Origo gentis Romanae with the Viri illustres and the imperial history of Aurelius Victor (Historiae abbreviatae) in order to span a temporal arc from the mythical early period through the kings and the Republic to Constantius II (337-361). [16] [17] [18]

Editions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostilian</span> Roman emperor in 251

Hostilian was briefly Roman emperor in 251. Hostilian was born to Decius and Herennia Etruscilla at an unknown date and elevated to caesar in 250 by Decius. After Decius and Herennius Etruscus, Hostilian's brother, were killed at the Battle of Abritus, an ambush by the Goths, Trebonianus Gallus was proclaimed emperor by the legions. Almost immediately, he elevated Hostilian to co-emperor and his own son, Volusianus, to caesar. Hostilian died soon after, either due to plague or being murdered by Trebonianus Gallus.

Lucius Appuleius Saturninus was a Roman populist and tribune. He is most notable for introducing a series of legislative reforms, alongside his associate Gaius Servilius Glaucia and with the consent of Gaius Marius, during the last years of the second century BC. Senatorial opposition to these laws eventually led to an internal crisis, the declaration of the senatus consultum ultimum, and the deaths of Saturninus, Glaucia, and their followers in 100 BC.

The gens Baebia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. The first member of the gens who obtained the consulship was Gnaeus Baebius Tamphilus, in 182 BC. During the later Republic, the Baebii were frequently connected with the patrician family of the Aemilii.

Sextus Aurelius Victor was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire. Victor was the author of a short history of imperial Rome, entitled De Caesaribus and covering the period from Augustus to Constantius II. The work was published in 361. Under the emperor Julian (361-363), Victor served as governor of Pannonia Secunda; in 389 he became praefectus urbi, senior imperial official in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quintus Aurelius Symmachus</span> Roman senator, orator and author (345–402 CE)

Quintus Aurelius Symmachus signo Eusebius was a Roman statesman, orator, and man of letters. He held the offices of governor of proconsular Africa in 373, urban prefect of Rome in 384 and 385, and consul in 391. Symmachus sought to preserve the traditional religions of Rome at a time when the aristocracy was converting to Christianity, and led an unsuccessful delegation of protest against Emperor Gratian's order to remove the Altar of Victory from the curia, the principal meeting place of the Roman Senate in the Forum Romanum. Two years later he made a famous appeal to Gratian's successor, Valentinian II, in a dispatch that was rebutted by Ambrose, the bishop of Milan. Symmachus's career was temporarily derailed when he supported the short-lived usurper Magnus Maximus, but he was rehabilitated and three years later appointed consul. After the death of Theodosius I, he became an ally of Stilicho, the guardian of emperor Honorius. In collaboration with Stilicho he was able to restore some of the legislative powers of the Senate. Much of his writing has survived: nine books of letters; a collection of Relationes or official dispatches; and fragments of various orations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurelia gens</span> Ancient Roman family

The gens Aurelia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome, which flourished from the third century BC to the latest period of the Empire. The first of the Aurelian gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Aurelius Cotta in 252 BC. From then to the end of the Republic, the Aurelii supplied many distinguished statesmen, before entering a period of relative obscurity under the early emperors. In the latter part of the first century, a family of the Aurelii rose to prominence, obtaining patrician status, and eventually the throne itself. A series of emperors belonged to this family, through birth or adoption, including Marcus Aurelius and the members of the Severan dynasty.

<i>Forma Urbis Romae</i> Marble map of ancient Rome (c.205-208)

The Forma Urbis Romae or Severan Marble Plan is a massive marble map of ancient Rome, created under the emperor Septimius Severus between 203 and 211 CE. Matteo Cadario gives specific years of 205–208, noting that the map was based on property records.

<i>De viris illustribus</i> A genre of literature

De Viris Illustribus, meaning "concerning illustrious men", represents a genre of literature which evolved during the Italian Renaissance in imitation of the exemplary literature of Ancient Rome. It inspired the widespread commissioning of groups of matching portraits of famous men from history to serve as moral role models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attus Navius</span> Roman augur

In Ancient Roman mythology, Attus Navius was a famous augur during the reign of Tarquinius Priscus.

Faustus Cornelius Sulla was a politician of the Roman Republic. He was the son of the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He started his career in the shadow of Pompey, whom he followed during the Civil War against Julius Caesar. He was killed soon after the battle of Thapsus in 46 BC.

Eustace I Granier, also known as Eustace Grenier or Eustace Garnier, called in Latin Eustachius Granarius in the charters, was a Flemish crusader who took part in the First Crusade. He became lord of Caesarea in 1101 and lord of Sidon in 1110. On 18 April 1123, he was elected constable and bailiff of Jerusalem during the captivity of Baldwin II of Jerusalem. Shortly before his death, he defeated a Fatimid army at the Battle of Yibneh near Ibelin.
Eustace Grenier is quoted in a text in verse written during his life in honour of the knights of the diocese of Thérouanne who accompanied Baldwin of Boulogne to the Holy Land.
Contemporary authors and historians identify Eustace Grenier as a nobleman from the diocese of Thérouanne in the County of Saint-Pol. Alan V. Murray, historian of the Crusades, writes: "However, his origins can be established with a high degree of certainty. The Versus de viris illustribus diocesis Tarvanensis qui in sacra fuere expeditione identifies him as a Fleming from the diocese of Therouanne".

Marcus Livius Drusus was a Roman politician and reformer. He is most famous for his legislative programme during his term as tribune of the plebs in 91 BC. During his year in office, Drusus proposed wide-ranging legislative reforms, including offering citizenship to Rome's Italian allies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Schott</span>

Andreas Schott was an academic, linguist, translator, editor and a Jesuit priest from Antwerp in the Habsburg Netherlands. He was mainly known for his editions of Latin and Greek classical literature.

<i>Carthago delenda est</i> Latin: "Carthage must be destroyed"

Ceterum (autem) censeo Carthaginem esse delendam, often abbreviated to Carthago delenda est or delenda est Carthago, is a Latin oratorical phrase pronounced by Cato the Elder, a politician of the Roman Republic. The phrase originates from debates held in the Roman Senate prior to the Third Punic War between Rome and Carthage. Cato is said to have used the phrase as the conclusion to all his speeches, to push for the war.

<i>Vir illustris</i> Highest ranks within the senates of Ancient Rome and Constantinople

The title vir illustris is used as a formal indication of standing in late antiquity to describe the highest ranks within the senates of Rome and Constantinople. All senators had the title vir clarissimus ; but from the mid fourth century onwards, vir illustris and vir spectabilis were used to distinguish holders of high office.

The Enmannsche Kaisergeschichte is a modern term for a hypothetical Latin historical work, written in the 4th century, but now lost.

The gens Decia was a plebeian family of high antiquity, which became illustrious in Roman history by the example of its members sacrificing themselves for the preservation of their country. The first of the family known to history was Marcus Decius, chosen as a representative of the plebeians during the secession of 495 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horatia gens</span> Ancient Roman family

The gens Horatia was a patrician family at ancient Rome. In legend, the gens dates back to the time of Tullus Hostilius, the third King of Rome. One of its members, Marcus Horatius Pulvillus, was consul suffectus in 509 BC, the first year of the Republic, and again in 507. The most famous of the Horatii was his nephew, Publius Horatius Cocles, who held the Sublician bridge against the army of Lars Porsena circa 508 BC.

The Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae (1993–2000) is a six-volume, multilingual reference work considered to be the major, modern work covering the topography of ancient Rome. The editor is Eva Margareta Steinby, and the publisher is Edizioni Quasar of Rome. It is considered the successor to Platner and Ashby's A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome.

The lex Appuleia agraria was a Roman agrarian law introduced by the plebeian tribune Lucius Appuleius Saturninus during his second tribunate in 100 BC. The law concerned the distribution of land to poor Romans and to Gaius Marius' veterans. According to Appian, this was to be provided from land that had been seized by the Cimbri in Transalpine Gaul. A separate but related law also established colonies Sicily, Achaea, Macedonia, and possibly Africa.

References

  1. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). Fugmann, Joachim (ed.). De viris illustribus urbis Romae. Darmstadt: WBG. pp. 20–25, 31. ISBN   978-3-534-23852-1.
  2. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). Martin, Paul Marius (ed.). Les hommes illustres de la ville de Rome. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. pp. XLIX–LV.
  3. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). Fugmann, Joachim (ed.). De viris illustribus urbis Romae. Darmstadt: WBG. pp. 9–14. ISBN   978-3-534-23852-1.
  4. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). De viris illustribus urbis Romae. Darmstadt: WBG. pp. 17–19. ISBN   978-3-534-23852-1.
  5. ↑ Bendz, G. (1939). Hanell, K. (ed.). Eine lateinische Exemplabiographie. Bemerkungen über den anonymen Liber de viris illustribus urbis Romae. Lund. pp. 55–66.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). De viris illustribus urbis Romae. Darmstadt: WBG. pp. 20–25. ISBN   978-3-534-23852-1.
  7. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius. Martin, Paul Marius (ed.). Les hommes illustres de la ville de Rome. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. pp. XLIX–LVI.
  8. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). Fugmann, Joachim (ed.). De viris illustribus urbis Romae. Darmstadt: WBG. pp. 27–33. ISBN   978-3-534-23852-1.
  9. ↑ Schmidt, Peter L. (1978). "Sex. Aurelius Victor". RE Suppl. (XV): 1583–1676.
  10. ↑ Schmidt, Peter L. (1978). "Sex. Aurelius Victor". RE Suppl. (XV): 1643.
  11. ↑ Schmidt, Peter L. (1978). "Sex. Aurelius Victor". RE Suppl. (XV): 1637–1640.
  12. ↑ Sage, M. M. (1979). "The Elogia of the Augustan Forum and the De viris illustribus". Historia (28): 192–210.
  13. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). Fugmann, Joachim (ed.). De viris illustribus urbis Romae. Darmstadt. pp. 31–33. ISBN   978-3-534-23852-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ↑ Schmidt, Peter L. (1978). "Sex. Aurelius Victor". RE Suppl. (XV): 1644–1655.
  15. ↑ Fugmann, Joachim (2006). "Pompeius oder Kleopatra. Zum Schluss der Schrift De viris illustribus urbis Romae". Philologus (150): 136–148.
  16. ↑ Schmidt, Peter L. (1978). "Sex. Aurelius Victor". RE Suppl. (XV): 1583–1602.
  17. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). Fugmann, Joachim (ed.). De viris illustribus urbis Romae. Darmstadt: WBG. pp. 9–16. ISBN   978-3-534-23852-1.
  18. ↑ Victor, Ps. Aurelius (2016). Martin, Paul Marius (ed.). Les hommes illustres de la ville de Rome. Paris: Les Belles Lettres. pp. VII–XXXIV, LXI–LXXV. ISBN   978-2-251-01470-8.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.