Three Friends in One! Codex Salmasianus #428

Roman men often had deep, loving and affectionate friendships with their peers. There was no shame or stigma in expressing love and support to one another.

De tribus amicis bonis

Serranum Vegetumque simul iunctumque

Herogenem, caros aspice Geryonas.

Esse putas fratres, tanta pietate fruuntur

immo neges: sic est in tribus unus amor.

Triga mihi paucos inter dilecta sodales,

triga sodalicii pars bene magna mei!

--Seneca the Younger, as recorded in Codex Salmasianus 428

The Three Good Friends

Check out Serranus, Vegetus and Herogenes,

A darling three-in-one Geryon.*

They’re so close to each other,

You’d think they were brothers;

There’s one love shared among the three.

Of the few people I call friends, this trio is so very dear to me,

This trio is such a large part of my social life!

 

* According to Greek mythology, Geryon was a three-bodied giant whom Hercules defeated.

SENECA THE YOUNGER	MAP:
Name:  Lucius Annaeus Seneca Date:  4 BCE – 65 CE Works:  Epistulae Morales                De Clementia                Phaedra, etc.	REGION  2
BIO:	Timeline:
Originally from Corduba, Hispania, Seneca the Younger was a Roman statesman with a tumultuous career. First exiled to the island of Corsica by the emperor Claudius, he was later recalled and became the emperor Nero’s mentor and tutor. Seneca wrote prolifically in several genres, including Stoic philosophy and Roman tragedies. He was ultimately put to death by the emperor Nero for his participation in the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65 CE.	SILVER AGE LATIN

 

 

 

 

M/M: Love will Save Us From A Tyrant: Aelian, Hist. Var. 2.4

De amore Charitonis & Melanippi, & tyranni erga ipsos miseratione

Phalaridis factum recensebo vobis, alienum id quidem ab eius moribus. Nam humanitatem quandam prae se fert singularem, & idcirco ei non convenire videtur. Chariton erat quidam Agrigentinus, pulchritudinis amator, & nimius in adolescentium amore. Hic ardenti desiderio Melanippum amabat, qui etiam ipse Agrigentinus erat, animum gerens honestum, & elegantia formae praestans. Hunc Melanippum laeserat quadam re Phalaris. Quum enim iudicio cum amico Phalaridis contenderet, tyrannus mandavit, ut accusatione desisteret. Qui quum non obediret, extremum periculum ei ministratus est, nisi morem gereret. Itaque vi coactus lite abstinuit. Magistratus autem, qui sub Phalaride, irritatam iudicii sententiam fecerunt. Quod adolescens aegre ferens, iniuriam sibi fieri dixit & ei a quo amabatur, suam iram prodidit atque confessus est Melanippus, rogavitque ut sibi adiumento esset, ad insidias in tyrannum intendendas. Alios etiam adolescentes in societatem adscisciscere cogitavit, quos ad eiusmodi facinus commodissimos paratissimusque esse scirent. Chariton, quum insaniam eius ac furorem cerneret, & ab ira incensum rapi, atque sciret neminem civium in hanc rem consensurum esse metu tyranni, se quoque; dudum aiebat hoc agitasse, & omnem diligentiam semper adhibere, ut patriam a servitute praesenti in libertatem vidicaret: sed periculose haec multis enunciari & communicari. Quamobrem orare, ut sibi de his rebus penitius considerandi curam permittat, & tempus idoneum ad obeundum facinus capere sinat. Concessit adolescens. Proinde Chariton, omnem hius ausi conatu in se assumens, amasium in societatem sceleris assumere nolebat: ut si deprehenderetur, & manifestum fieret negotium, ipse solus poenas dependeret, non etiam amasium periculi faceret participe. Sumpta igitur sica, quum opportunum videbatur, adversus tyrannum ruebat. Nec vero clam esse potuit, sed deprehensus est a satellitibus, qui in eiusmodi res summo studio intenti erant. Coniectus autem in carcerem. & quaestionibus examinatus ad prodendos coniuratores, fortiter toleravit, & passus est tormentorusm saevitiamque atque vim. Postqauam vero longum id fuit. Melanippus ad Phalarim accessit & se non tantum socium huius consilii, sed etiam auctorem insidiarum. Charitoni fuisse confessus est. Percontante rege, qua causa impulsus hoc fecisset, narravit ei rem omnem a principio, de accusandi potestate sibi adempta, atque haec sibi molesta & indigna vis esse fassus est. Miratus igitur tyrannus, utrumque liberum dimisit: sed ea lege atque conditione, ut eodem die non solum ex Agrigentinorum urbe, verum etiam e Sicilia excederent. Nihilominus tamen eis permittebat, ut ex suis possessionibus & facultatibus debitum tructum caperent. Hos postmodoum & eorum amicitiam Pythia celebravit his carminibus :

Humana genti auctores caelestis amoris,

et Chariton felix & Melanippus erat.

oraculo horum amorem divinam & caelestem appellante.

Φαλάριδος ὑμῖν ἔργον οὐ μάλα ἐκείνῳ σύνηθες εὶπεῖν ἐθέλω: τὸ δὲ ἔργον φιλανθρωπίαν ἄμαχον ὁμολογεῖ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀλλότριον ἐκείνου δοκεῖ. Χαρίτων ἦν Ἀκραγαντῖνος φιλόκαλος ἄνθρωπος καὶ περὶ τὴν ὥραν τὴν τῶν νέων ἐσπουδακὼς δαιμονίως: διαπύρως δὲ ἠράσθη μάλιστα Μελανίππου Ἀκραγαντίνου καὶ ἐκείνου καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀγαθοῦ καὶ τὸ κάλλος διαφέροντος. τοῦτον ἐλύπησέ τι Φάλαρις τὸν Μελάνιππον: δικαζομένῳ γὰρ αὐτῷ πρός τινα τῶν ἑταίρων αὐτοῦ τοῦ Φαλάριδος προσέταξεν ὁ τύραννος τὴν γραφὴν καταθέσθαι. τοῦ δὲ μὴ πειθομένου ὃ δὲ ἠπείλησε τὰ ἔσχατα δράσειν αὐτὸν μὴ ὑπακούσαντα.  καὶ ἐκεῖνος μὲν παρὰ τὴν δίκην ἐκράτησεν ἀνάγκῃ προστάξαντος τοῦ Φαλάριδος, οἱ δὲ ἄρχοντες τὴν γραφὴν τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἠφάνισαν. βαρέως δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ νεανίσκος ἤνεγκεν ὑβρίσθαι λέγων, καὶ ὡμολόγει τὴν ὀργὴν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς τὸν ἐραστήν, καὶ ἠξίου κοινωνὸν αὐτὸν γενέσθαι τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῆς κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄλλους δὲ ἔσπευδε προσλαβεῖν τῶν νεανίσκων, οὓς μάλιστα ᾔδει περὶ τὴν τοιαύτην πρᾶξιν θερμοτάτους. ὁρῶν δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Χαρίτων ἐνθουσιῶντα καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς ἀναφλεγόμενον, καὶ γινώσκων ὅτι τῶν πολιτῶν οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς συλλήψεται δέει τῷ ἐκ τοῦ τυράννου, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔφη πάλαι τοῦτο ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ σπεύδειν ἐκ παντὸς τὴν πατρίδα ῥύσασθαι τῆς δουλείας τῆς καταλαβούσης: ἀσφαλὲς δὲ μὴ εἶναι πρὸς πολλοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐκφέρειν. ἠξίου δὴ τὸν Μελάνιππόν οἱ συγχωρῆσαι ἀκριβέστερον ὑπὲρ τούτων διασκέψασθαι καὶ ἐᾶσαι παραφυλάξαι τὸν χρόνον τὸν ἐπιτήδειον ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν. συνεχώρησε τὸ μειράκιον. ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ τοίνυν ὁ Χαρίτων βαλόμενος τὸ πᾶν τόλμημα, καὶ κοινωνὸν αὐτοῦ μὴ θελήσας παραλαβεῖν τὸν ἐρώμενον, ἵν᾽ εἰ καταφωραθείη, αὐτὸς ὑπέχοι τὴν δίκην, ἀλλὰ μὴ καὶ ἐκεῖνον ἐς ταὐτὰ ἐμβάλοι, ἡνίκα οἱ ἐδόκει καλῶς ἔχειν, ἐγχειρίδιον λαβὼν ὡρμᾶτο ἐπὶ τὸν τύραννον. οὐ μὴν ἔλαθε, πάνυ σφόδρα ἀκριβῶς τῶν δορυφόρων τὰ τοιαῦτα φυλαττόντων. ἐμβληθεὶς δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Φαλάριδος ἐς τὸ δεσμωτήριον καὶ στρεβλούμενος ἵν᾽ εἴποι τοὺς συνεγνωκότας, ὃ δὲ ἐνεκαρτέρει καὶ ἐνήθλει ταῖς βασάνοις. ἐπεὶ δὲ μακρὸν τοῦτο ἦν, ὁ Μελάνιππος ἧκεν ἐπὶ τὸν Φάλαριν, καὶ ὡμολόγησεν οὐ μόνον κοινωνὸς εἶναι τῷ Χαρίτωνι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἄρξαι τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς. τοῦ δὲ πυνθανομένου τὴν αἰτίαν, εἶπε τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς λόγον καὶ τὴν τῆς γραφῆς ἄρσιν, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡμολόγει περιαλγῆσαι. θαυμάσας οὖν ἀμφοτέρους ἀφῆκε τῆς τιμωρίας, προστάξας αὐθημερὸν ἀπελθεῖν μὴ μόνον τῆς Ἀκραγαντίνων πόλεως ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς Σικελίας: συνεχώρησε δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἴδια δίκαια καρποῦσθαι. τούτους ὕστερον ἡ Πυθία καὶ τὴν φιλίαν αὐτῶν ὕμνησε διὰ τούτων τῶν ἐπῶν

 

θείας ἡγητῆρες ἐφημερίοις φιλότητος

εὐδαίμων Χαρίτων καὶ Μελάνιππος ἔφυ,

τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν ἔρωτα αὐτῶν θείαν ὀνομάσαντος φιλίαν. 

 --Aelian, Hist. Var. 2.4; Translated into Latin by Joannis Schefferi [Second Edition 1662]

I’m going to tell you about what Phalaris did that was out of character. It’s strange, since it showed empathy, which wasn’t something he did. Chariton was an honorable man from Agrigento and was madly in love with a youth [Melanippus] who was a fellow citizen who had a good heart and good character.

Phalaris offended Melanippus in this manner. When he had sued one of Phalaris’ companions, the tyrant ordered him to drop the lawsuit. When Melanippus refused, Phalaris threatened to kill him. He was compelled to drop the suit and the judges nullified the case.

Melanippus got upset over this, yelled that he was treated unfairly, vowed revenge. He tried make a plot with Chariton, and tried to assemble other like-minded youths to take down the tyrant. Chariton, seeing his boyfriend’s inflamed anger, realized that everyone was too afraid of the tyrant to act, agreed with him and offered to join him. He said he would do anything to free his country from slavery, but that it wasn’t safe to tell this to too many people, and that he should lay low until they could find the opportune time to act. Melanippus agreed.

Taking charge, Chariton wanted to shield his lover from the association of the crime. In case he was caught, he didn’t want Melanippus in trouble; he alone would pay the consequences, and his lover wouldn’t be endangered.

Grabbing a dagger, he attacked the tyrant. He wasn’t sneaky about it; he did it openly and he was caught by tyrant’s guards who were alert to such attacks. Melanippus was thrown in prison and interrogated to betray his fellow conspirators, but he bravely endured the torture. But after a long time, Melanippus went to Phalaris and told him that he not only agreed to do it, but actually planned the deed—not Chariton. When Phalaris asked the reason, Melanippus explained everything from the beginning, about the trial and how he was upset about it. Phalaris was amazed at the both of them, and released them both! They were free under the condition that they leave not only Agrigento, but stay out of Sicily. Furthermore, they got to keep their property.

This is the relationship that the Pythia later sings about, stating

"The blessed gods gave as a guide to humankind

The blessed Chariton and Melanippus!"

She called their relationship divine and heavenly love.

 

One Proud Olympic Mama! Aelian, Var. Hist. 10.1

The Olympic Games did not allow women spectators, but there are several stories of women who challenged this law in order to watch their family members compete. You can see another example here.

Pherenice filium suum ad Olympia certaminis causa adduxit: & quum Hellanodicae prohiberent eam a spectaculo ludorum, ad ius cum ipsis descendit, dicens se patrem habere victorem Olympiorum, atque tres fratres, itemque filium adduxxisse pugilatorem. His rationibus & populum & legem superavit, quae feminas a spectaculis arceret, & Olympia spectavit.

Φερενίκη τὸν υἱὸν ἦγεν ἐς Ὀλύμπια ἀθλεῖν. κωλυόντων δὲ αὐτὴν τῶν Ἑλλανοδικῶν τὸν ἀγῶνα θεάσασθαι, παρελθοῦσα ἐδικαιολογήσατο πατέρα μὲν Ὀλυμπιονίκην ἔχειν καὶ τρεῖς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ αὐτὴ παῖδα Ὀλυμπίων ἀγωνιστήν: καὶ ἐξενίκησε τὸν δῆμον [p. 108] καὶ τὸν εἴργοντα νόμον τῆς θέας τὰς γυναῖκας, καὶ ἐθεάσατο Ὀλύμπια.

--Aelian, Var. Hist. 10.1; translated into Latin by Joannis Schefferi  (1662)

 

Pherenike brought her son to the Olympic games. When the judges forbid her from attending the games, she countered them, saying that not only was her father an Olympic champion, but her three brothers were and now even her son was, too.  She was able to win over both the people and their laws (which forbid women from watching the Olympics).

 

 

M/M: The Funeral of Hephaestion: Aelian, Var. Hist. 7.8

De luctu Alexandri, quem ex Hephaestionis morte cepit.

Quum Hephaestion diem suum obiisset, Alexander iniectis in pyram armis, auro & argento, simul ea cum mortuo igni tradidit, itemque vestem magni precii apud Persas. Rasit etiam ones bellicosos et fortes atque seipsum, rem faciens Homericam, imitans Achillem Homericum. Sed hic illo violentius & vehementius fecit, quum circumradens everteret muros Ecbatanorum arcis: Usque ad suos igitur capillos, videtur mihi plane Graeco ingenio fecisse:at quum muros dirueret, tum vero barbarico more luxit & stolam quoque permutavit, dolori, amori & lacrymis omnia permittens.

Hephaestio mortuus est ad Ecbatana. Fama autem emenavit, haec (quae diximus) facta, fuisse in gratiam quidem Hephaestionis mortui, sed Alexandrum vita defunctum iis usum esse. non enim a luctu ob iuvenem suscepto prius destitisse Alexandrum, quam ipsum quoque mors abstulerit.

ὅτε Ἡφαιστίων ἀπέθανεν, Ἀλέξανδρος ὅπλα αὐτῷ ἐς τὴν πυρὰν ἐνέβαλε, καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον τῷ νεκρῷ συνέτηξε καὶ ἐσθῆτα τὴν μέγα τιμίαν ἐν Πέρσαις. ἀπέκειρε δὲ καὶ τοὺς πλοκαμοὺς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ, Ὁμηρικὸν πάθος δρῶν καὶ μιμούμενος τὸν Ἀχιλλέα τὸν ἐκείνου. βιαιότερον δὲ καὶ θερμότερον ἐκείνου ἔδρασεν οὗτος, τὴν τῶν Ἐκβατάνων ἀκρόπολιν περικείρας. μέχρι μὲν οὖν τῆς κόμης τῆς ἑαυτοῦ Ἑλληνικὰ ἐδόκει μοι δρᾶν: ἐπιχειρήσας δὲ τοῖς τείχεσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνταῦθα ἐπένθει βαρβαρικῶς Ἀλέξανδρος ἤδη, καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν στολὴν ἤμειψε, θυμῷ καὶ ἔρωτι ἐπιτρέπων πάντα καὶ δακρύοις. ὅτι Ἡφαιστίων ἐς Ἐκβάτανα ἀπέθανε. διαρρεῖ δὲ λόγος Ἡφαιστίωνι μὲν ταῦτα εὐτρεπισθῆναι νεκρῷ, Ἀλέξανδρον δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀποθανόντα χρήσασθαι: μὴ γὰρ φθάσαι τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ μειρακίῳ τελεσθὲν πένθος, ἐπιλαβεῖν δὲ τὸν τοῦ Ἀλέξάνδρου θάνατον.

--Aelian, Hist. Var. 7.8; Translated into Latin by Justus Vulteius (1731)

When Hephaestion died, Alexander threw his own armor upon the pyre, as well as gold and silver and rich Persian garb. He ordered his warriors to shave their heads, just like Achilles did in the works of Homer. But he acted more out-of-control and rash, and tore down the walls of the citadel of Ecbatana*. In my opinion, the head-shaving was a Greek way of mourning, but the utter destruction of the city walls was barbaric, as well as his change of mourning garb, and allowing himself to succumb to tears, his love, and his over-the-top behavior.

Hephestion died in Ecbatana. The story goes that the preparations Alexander made for Hephestion ended up being used for his own death, for Alexander died before the mourning period was over.

 

* In the Iliad, Achilles dragged Hector’s corpse around the city of Troy as a form of psychological warfare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Telesilla's Prophecy: Herodotus, Histories 6.77

Herodotus records the following prophecy in his account of the story of Telesilla's defense of Argos:

θήλεια τὸν ἄρσενα νικήσασα

ἐξελάσῃ καὶ κῦδος ἐν Ἀργείοισιν ἄρηται,

πολλὰς Ἀργείων ἀμφιδρυφέας τότε θήσει.

ὧς ποτέ τις ἐρέει καὶ ἐπεσσομένων ἀνθρώπων

δεινὸς ὄφις τριέλικτος ἀπώλετο δουρὶ δαμασθείς.

 

Verum, quando marem praevertet foemina victrix,

inter et Argivos referet praelustris honorem;

tunc Argivarum reddet plerasque gementes,

ut venturorum aiat quis quandoque virorum:

telo saevus obiit nuoso corpore servens.

--Herodotus Histories 6.77; Translated into Latin by Johannes Schweighaeuser (1814)

 

When a woman conquers a man,

And drives him off,

She will raise up glory among the Argives,

She will bring tears upon the cheeks of many Argive women.

One day, someone in the future will say

“The triple-coiled dragon, now tamed by the spear, is dead.”

  

HERODOTUS	MAP:
Name: Herodotus   Date:  484 – 425 BCE Works:  Histories	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Herodotus was an Anatolian-born Greek author who lived during the 5th century BCE. He was born into nobility, and used his privilege to travel the Mediterranean extensively. His magnum opus, Histories, details wars between the Greeks and the Persian Empire, as well as important cultural information for these and Egyptian culture. He is often called the “Father of Greek History,” since his work is the earliest attempt within Greek literature to collect research and primary accounts of historical events.	GOLDEN AGE GREEK

 

 

Were They Or Weren't They? Patrochilles and 5th century Athens

Gender and sexuality are constructs defined by the society that created them, and there are considerable differences between what ancient Greeks (and later, Romans) believed was queer identity in comparison to our modern ones. It is important to be careful when assigning a modern label or orientation to a person from an ancient culture, and in many cases, it can be dangerous to do so, as it can warp our understanding of the person in question. For example, whereas it is universally known that Sappho transcended heteronormative identity and behavior patterns, people often argue whether Sappho was a lesbian or bisexual, when the reality is that she was simultaneously neither and both, and would not have easily fit into any modern term.

This conflict of identification also existed in ancient times. One of the most obvious examples of this is “Patrochilles,” the relationship between Trojan War veterans Achilles and Patroclus. In Athens during the 5^th century BCE, the prevalent model of same sex relationships was one with an imbalance of power, not of equality. Because they did not understand that Homeric culture would have different concept of the spectrum of gender and sexuality, many Athenians were baffled by the Achilles / Patroclus relationship. This couple did not easily fit into the Athenian model; Patroclus was older of the two, but politically inferior, while Achilles was top-tier socially, but younger than Patroclus. An entire section of Plato’s Symposium was dedicated to the discussion on which of the two was the dominant lover (180a).  Plato’s contemporary, the orator Aeschines, however, argued the opposite. Since the couple did not fit the contemporary model, their relationship must not be romantic, but merely a friendship (In Timarchum 1.142:[Homerus] cum multis locis Patrocli & Achillis meminerit: amorem & Cognomentum amicitiae illorum dissimulat cum insignem illam benevolentiam eruditis auditoribus esse conspicuam existimet, translated into Latin by Jerome Oporinus, 1553). It is clear from this and other contemporary treatments of the Achilles / Patroclus relationship that ancient Athenians struggled with understanding how interpersonal relationships were influenced by the culture they exist in.

One of the ways that LGBT Meets SPQR tries to counteract this difficulty is by using overlapping labels. The blog readily acknowledges that one ancient person or myth might simultaneously fit into multiple conflicting modern identities. Modern labels are provided in the tag section to help sort material into topics of interest, but it is important to remember that ancient people would use their own spectrum and not ours.

Sore Loser: Pindar loses against Corinna, Aelian, H.V. 13.25

Content Warning: misogyny 

De Pindaro in certamine superato a Corinna.

quum* in imperitos incidisset auditores, superatus est a Corinna quinquies. Redarguens vero ruditatem ipsorum Pindarus, suem vocavit Corinnam. 

Πίνδαρος ὁ ποιητὴς ἀγωνιζόμενος ἐν Θήβαις ἀμαθέσι περιπεσὼν ἀκροαταῖς ἡττήθη Κορίννης πεντάκις. ἐλέγχων δὲ τὴν ἀμουσίαν αὐτῶν ὁ Πίνδαρος σῦν ἐκάλει τὴν Κόρινναν.

--Aelian, Hist. Var. 13.25; Translated into Latin by Justus Vulteius (1731)

Regarding Pindar’s Defeat by Corinna

When the poet Pindar competed in Thebes, he was defeated by Corinna five times because the audience was ignorant and unlearned. Pindar called them out for their stupidity, and called Corinna a pig.

 

 * Early publishers of Latin texts differentiated the preposition cum ("with") with the conjunction cum ("when / since / although") by spelling the conjunction quum