Love in Action Mode: Pliny, Hist. Nat. VII.xxxvi.121

Love comes in many forms, and this description of pietas [duty towards those you love, including the gods] shows examples of love and duty towards one's parent, spouse, sibling, as well as people not defined as family members by society. 

Pietatis exempla infinita quidem toto orbe extitere, sed Romae unum cui comparari cuncta non possint. humilis in plebe et ideo ignobilis puerpera, supplicii causa carcere inclusa matre cum impetrasset aditum, a ianitore semper excussa ante ne quid inferret cibi, deprehensa est uberibus suis alens eam. quo miraculo matris salus donata filiae pietati est ambaeque perpetuis alimentis, et locus ille eidem consecratus deae, C. Quinctio M. Acilio coss. templo Pietatis extructo in illius carceris sede, ubi nunc Marcelli theatrum est.

Gracchorum pater anguibus prehensis in domo, cum responderetur ipsum victurum alterius sexus interempto: Immo vero, inquit, meum necate, Cornelia enim iuvenis est et parere adhuc potest. hoc erat uxori parcere et re publicae consulere; idque mox consecutum est. M. Lepidus Apuleiae uxoris caritate post repudium obiit. P. Rutilius morbo levi impeditus nunciata fratris repulsa in consulatus petitione ilico expiravit. P. Catienus Philotimus patronum adeo dilexit ut heres omnibus bonis institutus in rogum eius se iaceret.

--Pliny the Elder, Hist. Nat. VII.xxxvi.121-122

 

There are countless examples of love throughout the globe, but the rest cannot compare to what happened at Rome. There once was a poor plebeian woman who had recently given birth. She obtained a visit with her incarcerated mother. Even though she was always searched so that she wouldn’t give her mother any food, she was caught feeding her mother with her breastmilk. Because of this act of love, her mother was freed and both women were given state benefits for life. In 150 BCE [the year that C. Quinctius and M. Acilius were consuls], this location was then consecrated to the Goddess; the prison was torn down and a Temple of Piety was erected. [This is now where the Theater of Marcellus is located].

The father of the Gracchi brothers once caught two snakes inside his house*; when he was told that he would live if he killed the female snake, he replied, “No way! Kill mine, then. Cornelia is young and is still fertile.” What he meant was to spare his wife and respect the republic’s wishes; he soon perished.

M. Lepidus pined to death after divorcing his wife Apuleia.

When P. Rutilius was a bit sick and he found out that his brother lost the candidacy for consulship, he died of shock.

P. Catiennus Philotimus loved his patron so much that, even though he was the sole beneficiary of the man’s will, he tossed himself onto the man’s pyre.

* a pair of snakes is also seen in the myth of Tiresias, with a different meaning and outcome.

PLINY THE ELDER	MAP:
Name:  Gaius Plinius Secundus Date:  23 – 79 CE Works:  Naturalis Historia*	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Pliny was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author who lived during the reigns of the early Roman emperors. He spent most of his life in service of his country; he ultimately gave his life in arranging the evacuation of the regions devastated by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. His work, the Natural History, is a 37-volume collection of art, history, and science of the ancient world.	GOLDEN AGE ROME

 

The Courage of Leaena: Pliny the Elder, Hist. Nat. VII.xxiii.87

 TRIGGER WARNING: Torture

Patientia corporis, ut est crebra sors calamitatum, innumera documenta peperit, clarissimum in feminis Leaenae meretricis, quae torta non indicavit Harmodium et Aristogitonem tyrannicidas, in viris Anaxarchi, qui simili de causa cum torqueretur praerosam dentibus linguam unam spem indici in tyranni os expuit.

--Pliny the Elder, Hist. Nat. VII.xxiii.87

There are countless examples of physical endurance; this occurs frequently in times of crisis. The most famous example of endurance in women is Leaena the courtesan, who while being tortured, did not betray the tyrant-slaying Harmodius & Aristogiton. The best example for men is Anaxarchus, who in a similar situation bit off his own tongue and spit it into the tyrant’s face in order to not confess under torture.

PLINY THE ELDER

MAP:

Name:  Gaius Plinius Secundus

Date:  23 – 79 CE

Works:  Naturalis Historia*

 

REGION  1

BIO:

Timeline:

 Pliny was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author who lived during the reigns of the early Roman emperors. He spent most of his life in service of his country; he ultimately gave his life in arranging the evacuation of the regions devastated by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. His work, the Natural History, is a 37-volume collection of art, history, and science of the ancient world.

 GOLDEN AGE ROME

From Bride to Groom: Tales from Pliny the Elder, Hist. Nat. VII.iv.36

 Trigger Warning: child exposure

Ex feminis mutari in mares non est fabulosum. Inveniemus in annalibus P. Licinio Crasso C. Cassio Longino coss. Casini puerum factum ex virgine sub parentibus, iussuque harispicium deportatum in insulam desertam. Licinius Mucianus prodidit visum a se Argis Arescontem, cui nomen Arescusae fuisset, nupsisse etiam, mox barbaram et virilitatem provenisse uxoremque duxisse; eiusdem sortis et Zmyrnae puerum a se visum. Ipse in Africa vidi mutatum in marem nuptiarum die L. Constitium civem Thysdriatanum...

--Pliny the Elder, Hist. Nat. VII.iv.36

It’s not impossible for women to turn into men. For I’ve found in historical records that in 171 BCE [the year that P. Licinius Crassus and C. Cassius Longinus were consuls], a girl turned into a boy while still living at home,* and was abandoned on a deserted island due to religious observances. Licinius Mucianus reports that he saw in Argos a man named Arescon, who used to be Arescusa: she was already living as someone’s wife, but when he grew a beard and underwent manly puberty, he married a wife of his own. He also saw the same thing happen to a boy in Smyrna. When I was in Africa, I saw with my own eyes someone who transformed on their wedding day, when they should have married L. Constitius (a citizen of Thysdrus).

* before eligible for marriage, an indication of the child's age

PLINY THE ELDER

MAP:

Name:  Gaius Plinius Secundus

Date:  23 – 79 CE

Works:  Naturalis Historia*

 

REGION  1

BIO:

Timeline:

 Pliny was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author who lived during the reigns of the early Roman emperors. He spent most of his life in service of his country; he ultimately gave his life in arranging the evacuation of the regions devastated by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. His work, the Natural History, is a 37-volume collection of art, history, and science of the ancient world.

 GOLDEN AGE ROME

Luxorius XII: Gender Roles of Eunuchs

The role of the eunuch (spado) in Roman society was a complicated one; in this poem of Luxorius, we see that eunuchs were bound by strict gender roles. As usual, the poet's tone is critical, but not violent; he is following the same biting style of his predecessors Catullus and Martial.

Rutilo decens capillo

roseoque crine ephebus

spado regius mitellam

capiti suo locavit;

proprii memor pudoris,

bene conscius quid esset

posuit cogente nullo

fuerat minus quod illi.

--Luxorius XII

A young royal eunuch

Dolled up with his golden curls

With roses braided in his hair

Put a headdress* on his head.

Knowing full well that he shouldn’t,

He *knew* what he was doing,

And nobody forced him to wear it,

And he was made worse for it.

LUXORIUS	MAP:
Name:  Luxorius Date:  6th c. CE Works:  <Poems>	REGION  3
BIO:	Timeline:
Little is known about the life of the Roman poet Luxorius except that he lived in Carthage (modern Tunisia, northern Africa) and that his poetry was popular in the court of the Vandal kings. His poetry provides us with rare insight into the changing customs as the Roman Empire transitioned from a polytheistic to a monotheistic society.	BYZANTINE / LATE LATIN

M/M: Money Can't Buy You Love: Luxorius XXXV.1-4

 Although the poet Luxorius is homophobic, transphobic, and xenophobic, his poetry provides great insight into society in 6th century Roman Carthage. Despite the poet's disapproval of the addressee's lifestyle [the last two lines of the poem are offensive and not published here], the fact remains that this poem preserves evidence that same-sex couples continued to live openly in a Christianized Roman society.

Divitias grandesque epulas et munera multa,

quod proavi atque atavi quodque reliquit avus

des licet in cunctos et spargas, Becca, maritos;

plus tamen ille capit cui dare saepe cupis.

--Luxorius XXXV.1-4

The wealth

that your ancestors left for your great-grandfather,

that your great-grandfather left for your grandfather,

that your grandfather left for you,

you’re squandering it all away with lavish banquets and luxurious gifts

to all your "husbands" [maritos], Becca;

the one you’re accustomed to give money to

always just wants more.

LUXORIUS	MAP:
Name:  Luxorius Date:  6th c. CE Works:  <Poems>	REGION  3
BIO:	Timeline:
Little is known about the life of the Roman poet Luxorius except that he lived in Carthage (modern Tunisia, northern Africa) and that his poetry was popular in the court of the Vandal kings. His poetry provides us with rare insight into the changing customs as the Roman Empire transitioned from a polytheistic to a monotheistic society.	BYZANTINE / LATE LATIN

A Lover's Words: Catullus 70 & Callimachus 5.6.1-4

Although Callimachus uses this literary trope for lovers of any gender, Catullus uses this trope specifically against his lady (mulier, sometimes identified as Lesbia).

Callimachus, Greek Anthology V.6.1-4 (Translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner):

Iuravit Callignotus Ionidi, numquam se illa

habiturum-esse amicum potiorem neque amicam.

Iuravit: sed vere dicunt, amantium iuramenta

non penetrare in aures immortalium.

ὤμοσε Καλλίγνωτος Ἰωνίδι, μήποτε κείνης

ἕξειν μήτε φίλον κρέσσονα μήτε φίλην.

ὤμοσεν: ἀλλὰ λέγουσιν ἀληθέα, τοὺς ἐν ἔρωτι

ὅρκους.μὴ δύνειν οὔατ᾽ ἐς ἀθανάτων.

Callignotus swore to Ionis

That no one—man or woman—would be dearer to him than her.

He swears this, but what they say is true:

The oaths of a lover never reach the immortal gods.

vs. Catullus 70:

Nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle

quam mihi, non si se Iuppiter ipse petat.

dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,

in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.

My lady says that she’d rather marry no one but me,

Not even if Jupiter himself asked her.

So she says: but what a woman tells a desirous lover

Should be written on the wind and rushing water.

CALLIMACHUS / Καλλίμαχος	MAP:
Name:  Callimachus Date:  305 – 240 BCE Works:  Aitia (Causes)               Hymns              Pinakes (Table of Contents)	REGION  3 / 4
BIO:	Timeline:
Callimachus is often regarded as one of the best Alexandrian [Greek] poets. Born in raised in Cyrene, Libya, he spent a majority of his career at the famous Library of Alexandria, where he used the resources there to create refined, artful poetry. Although much of his poetry is lost, the fragments that remain are a testament to both his talent as an artist and his erudition as a scholar.	HELLENISTIC AGE

<Anonymous>	MAP:
Name:  ???? Date:  Works:  Greek Anthology; Anthologia Graeca; Florilegii Graecii	REGION  UNKNOWN
BIO:	Timeline:
The Greek Anthology is a modern collection of Greek lyric poetry compiled from various sources over the course of Greco-Roman literature. The current collection was created from two major sources, one from the 10th century CE and one from the 14th century CE. The anthology contains authors spanning the entirety of Greek literature, from archaic poets to Byzantine Christian poets.	Byzantine Greek

CATULLUS	MAP:
Name:  Gaius Valerius Catullus Date:  84 – 54 BCE Works:  Poems	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Catullus was a Roman statesman born in Verona  (Cisalpine Gaul, located in northern Italy) who lived during the tumultuous last days of the Roman Republic.  His poetry offers rare insight into the mores of the time period. Like Propertius and Tibullus, Catullus used a pseudonym for the objects of his attention; many of his love poems were addressed to either “Lesbia” or “Juventius.”	GOLDEN AGE

Thalestris, the Amazon Queen: Curtius Rufus, Hist. Alex. Magn. VI.v.24-32

Trigger Warning: This passage provides an example of xenophobia and misogyny, as historical Amazons here are glamorized and sexualized by the author's deliberate digression into their "lurid" habits. 

Erat, ut supra dictum est, Hyrcaniae finitima gens Amazonum, circa Thermodonta amnem Themiscyrae incolentium campos. Reginam habebant Thalestrin, omnibus inter Caucasum montem et Phasin amnem imperitantem. Haec cupidine visendi regis accensa finibus regni sui excessit et, cum haud procul abesset, praemisit indicantes venisse reginam adeundi eius cognoscendique avidam. Protinus facta potestate veniendi, ceteris iussis subsistere trecentis feminarum comitata processit, atque, ut primum rex in conspectu fuit, equo ipsa desiluit duas lanceas dextera praeferens. Vestis non toto Amazonum corpori obducitur: nam laeva pars ad pectus est nuda, cetera deinde velantur. Nec tamen sinus vestis, quem nodo colligunt, infra genua descendit. Altera papilla intacta servatur, qua muliebris sexus liberos alant: aduritur dextera, ut arcus facilius intendant et tela vibrent. Interrito vultu regem Thalestris invebatur, habitum eius haudquaquam rerum famae parem oculis perlustrans: quippe omnibus Barbaris in corporum maiestate veneratio est, magnorumque operum non alios capaces putant quam quos eximia specie donare natura dignata est. Ceterum interrogata num aliquid petere vellet, haud dubitavit fateri ad communicandos cum rege liberos se venisse, dignam, ex qua ipse regni generaret heredes; feminini sexus se retenturam, marem reddituram patri. Alexander, an cum ipso militare vellet, interrogat: et illa causata sine custode regnum reliquisse petere perseverabat ne se inritam spei pateretur abire. Acrior ad venerem feminae cupido quam regis; ac, ut paucos dies subsisteret, perpulit: XIII dies in obsequium desiderii eius absumpti sunt. Tum illa regnum suum, rex Parthienen petiverunt.

 --Quintus Curtius Rufus, Historia Alexandri Magni, VI.iv.24-32

As I mentioned earlier, there was a race of Amazons that neighbored Hyrcania; their territory lay on the plains surrounding the Thermodon River. Their queen was Thalestris, who ruled over everyone from the Caucasus mountains to the Phasis River. The queen, burning with a desire to see King Alexander, left her kingdom; when she was not too far from his camp, she sent ambassadors to let him know that she was coming and wanted to meet him. 

When she was granted a meeting, Thalestris sent away the remainder of her retinue except for a body guard of three hundred women. She trotted up to the king, and leapt down from her horse, carrying two lances in her right hand.

Amazons do not go about fully clothed. Their left side remains bare, including their breast, but they cover up the rest of their body. The rest of their outfit (which they tie up in a knot) does not cover their knees. They keep their left breast intact so they can nurse their daughters, but they burn off their right breasts, so that they can more easily draw their bows and shoot their spears.

Thalestris greeted Alexander with a scowl, for his looks did not live up to his royal status. (As you know, all barbarians venerate the majesty of royal bodies, and consider other bodies not as worthy of great deeds as the body of kings).

When asked what she wanted, Thalestris immediately confessed that she wanted to create children with the king, stating that she was worthy to create his heirs; if she bore a daughter, she would keep it; if she bore a son, she would return it to him. Then Alexander asked her if she wished to go on campaign with him; she replied that she could not leave her kingdom without a ruler, but instead insisted that she not leave with her request unfulfilled.  The queen’s desire for love overrode the king’s [desire for a military ally]; and so he tarried with her for a few days. They spent thirteen days together fulfilling the queen’s request. Then the queen returned home, and the king returned to Parthia.

QUINTUS CURTIUS RUFUS	MAP:
Name:  Quintus Curtius Rufus Date:  1st c. CE Works:  History of Alexander the Great	REGION  UNKNOWN
BIO:	Timeline:
Quintus Curtius Rufus was a Roman statesman and author who lived during the reign of the Julio-Claudian emperors. Although much of his work is lost, the remaining fragments of his History of Alexander the Great provide insight into the life of the great hero.	GOLDEN AGE ROME

Far from the Crimes of Man: Astraea, Seneca, Octavia, 397 - 424

 

Tunc illa virgo, numinis magni dea,
Iustitia, caelo missa cum sancta Fide
terra regebat mitis humanum genus.
non bella norant, non tubae fremitus truces,
non arma gentes, cingere assuerant suas
muris nec urbes: pervium cunctis iter,
communis usus omnium rerum fuit;
et ipsa Tellus laeta fecundos sinus
pandebat ultro, tam piis felix parens                          
et tuta alumnis. Alia sed suboles minus
conspecta mitis * * *
* * * Tertium sollers genus                   
novas ad artes extitit, sanctum tamen,
mox inquietum quod sequi cursu feras
auderet acres, fluctibus tectos graui         
extrahere pisces rete uel calamo levi,
decipere volucres crate * * *
tenere laqueo, premere subiectos iugo  
tauros feroces, vomere immunem prius
sulcare terram, laesa quae fruges suas…
interior, alte condidit sacro sinu.
     Sed in parentis viscera intravit suae
deterior aetas; eruit ferrum grave
aurumque, saevas mox et armavit manus;
partita fines regna constituit, novas
exstruxit urbes, tecta defendit sua 
aliena telis aut petit praedae imminens.
neglecta terras fugit et mores feros
hominum, cruenta caede pollutas manus
Astraea virgo, siderum magnum decus.

--Seneca the Younger, Octavia 397 – 424

Then Justice, the great-souled virgin goddess,

Sent down from heaven,

Ruled over the human race throughout the earth

With sacred faith.

At that time, mankind knew not the name of war,

Nor the shrill trumpet cry of reveille, nor of warfare;

Cities were not accustomed to build up defensive walls,

Travel was open for all;

All property was held in common.

The earth herself, Mother and Guardian,

gladly produced her bountiful crops for her children.

But the next age was less luxurious; . . .

The third age of mankind expanded with new technology,

Still a pious generation, but restless.

They dared to hunt down wild beasts,

Drag fish from the waves with their nets,

Use snares for birds and other animals,

Tame oxen with yoke,

Slash open the untouched earth with their ploughs.

And now, wounded, the earth hid her fruits

More deeply in her bosom.

But that age violated their sacred Mother’s loins,

Plucking out iron and gold

Put weapons in their savage hands,

Established borders for their kingdoms,

Built up new empires,

Defended their own homes with weapons,

Or sought out new homes for booty.

Neglected, the virgin goddess Astraea

Fled the earth and savage ways of man,

Fled those hands polluted with bloody murder

And sought the great glory of stars.

 

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

W/W: Happily Ever After: Berenice and Mesopotamia, Iamblichus' Babyloniaca

 The Christian author Photius preserved a summary of Iamblichus' novel Babyloniaca, a novel whose secondary romance plot involves the women Berenice and Mesopotamia. The relevant passages are listed here, but the entirety of the text (only a few pages long) is freely available elsewhere online. 

Cast of Characters:

Berenice, Princess [later Pharoah] of Egypt, and lover of Mesopotamia

Dama, a royal eunuch and Garmos' henchman

Euphrates, brother of Mesopotamia and who looks like Rhodanes

Garmos, King of Babylon, the antagonist

Mesopotamia, lover of Berenice

Rhodanes, Sinonis' lover and protagonist

Saca, a royal eunuch and Garmos' henchman

Sinonis, Rhodanes' lover and protagonist

Tigris, dead brother of Euphrates and Mesopotamia 

Zobara, Garmos' royal eunuch who rescues Mesopotamia

1. Personae ergo dramatis inducuntur Sinonis et Rhodanes, pulchra uterque forma et coniugii lege ut copulati, sic etiam invicem amantes. Garmus Babyloniae rex, amissa coniuge, Sinonidis captus amore, uxorem eam udcere maturabat: renuente vero Sinonide, aureo illa torque vincta est, et Rhodanes propterea (Damae et Sacae eunuchis regiis comisso negotio) tollendus in crucum erat. Verum studio Sinonidis inde liberatus, effugit uterque hic crucem, illa nuptias.

Εἰσὶ δὲ αὐτῷ πεποιημένα τοῦ δράματος πρόσωπα Σινωνὶς καὶ Ῥοδάνης, καλὴ καὶ καλὸς τὴν ὄψιν, νόμῳ γάμου ἐρῶντες ἀλλήλων καὶ δὴ καὶ ζευγνύμενοι,   καὶ Γάρμος βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς θανούσης εἰς ἔρωτα ἀναπτόμενος Σινωνίδος, καὶ πρὸς γάμον ἄγειν ἐπειγόμενος. Ἀνάνευσις Σινωνίδος καὶ δεσμὰ χρυσῷ τῆς ἁλύσεως διαπεπλεγμένης, καὶ Ῥοδάνης διὰ τοῦτο, Δάμα καὶ Σάκα τῶν βασιλικῶν εὐνούχων τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐπιτραπέντων, ἐπὶ σταυροῦ ἀναρτώμενος. Ἀλλ´ ἐκεῖθεν καθαιρεῖται σπουδῇ Σινωνίδος, καὶ φεύγουσιν ἄμφω, ὁ μὲν τὸν σταυρόν, ἡ δὲ τὸν γάμον

2. Narrat porro a re proposita nonnihil digrediens, de delubro illo, atqu insula, quam Euphrates et Tigris circumfluentes efficiant. Veneris ibi sacerdotis feminae tres fuisse liberos Euphratem, Tigrim et Mesopotamiam: vultu quidem hanc deformem genitam, sed a Venere post donatam venustate (tanta), ut de ips etiam lis exorta tres inter amantes fuerit, decretumque iudicium Bobocho, sive Borycho arbitro, qui suo saeculo diudicum praestantissimus habebatur. Addit contendisse hos res, iudiciumque subiisse, propterea quod huic quidem Mesopotamia cyathum, unde bibere solita, praebuerat; alteri deinde direptum capiti suo floridum sertum circumposuierat; tertio vero osculum tulerat: qui sane tertius iudicio victor cum esset, nihilominus contentionem viguisse, dum certantes mutuis se vulneribus confecissent.

Ὡς ἐν παρεκβολῇ δὲ διηγεῖται καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ τῆς νησῖδος, καὶ ὅτι ὁ Εὐφράτης καὶ ὁ Τίγρις περιρρέοντες αὐτὴν ποιοῦσι νησῖδα, καὶ ὅτι ἡ τῆς ἐνταῦθα Ἀφροδίτης ἱέρεια τρεῖς ἔσχε παῖδας, Εὐφράτην καὶ Τίγριν καὶ Μεσοποταμίαν, αἰσχρὰν τὴν ὄψιν ἀπὸ γενέσεως, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης εἰς κάλλος μετασκευασθεῖσαν. Δι´ ἣν καὶ ἔρις τριῶν ἐραστῶν γίνεται, καὶ κρίσις ἐπ´ αὐτούς. Βόροχος ἢ Βόχορος ὁ κρίνων ἦν, κριτῶν τῶν κατ´ ἐκείνους καιροὺς ἄριστος. Ἐκρίνοντο δὲ καὶ ἤριζον οἱ τρεῖς, ὅτι τῷ μὲν ἡ Μεσοποταμία τὴν φιάλην ἐξ ἧς ἔπιεν ἔδωκε, τῷ δὲ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐξ ἀνθέων ἀφελομένη στέφανον περιέθηκε, τὸν δὲ ἐφίλησε. Καὶ τοῦ φιληθέντος κρίσει νικήσαντος οὐδὲν ἔλαττον αὐτοῖς ἡ ἔρις ἤκμαζεν, ἕως ἀλλήλους ἀνεῖλον ἐρίζοντες

3.      Tigris et Euphrates [sacerdotis illius] filii, persimiles invicem erant, et Rhodanes utrosque forma referebat. Post alterum igitur illum filium, per rosam, uti diximus, enectum, Rhodanes in insulam una cum Sinonide traiecit: et mater Rhodanem aspiciens, inclamat natum suum exstinctum revixisse, filiamque pone subsequi eum iubet. Dissimulat haec Rhodanes, insulaorum simplicitatem ludificans. 

Ἀλλ´ ὅ γε Τίγρις καὶ Εὐφράτης οἱ παῖδες ἐμφερεῖς ἀλλήλοις ἦσαν, καὶ Ῥοδάνης ἀμφοτέροις. Τοῦ δὲ παιδός, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, τῷ ῥόδῳ τελειωθέντος Ῥοδάνης πρὸς τὴν νησῖδα ἅμα Σινωνίδι περαιοῦται, καὶ βοᾷ ἡ μήτηρ τὸν τεθνηκότα αὐτῆς υἱὸν ἀναβιῶναι, εἰς τὸν Ῥοδάνην ὁρῶσα, καὶ Κόρην αὐτῷ ἐκεῖθεν ἕπεσθαι· συνυποκρίνεται Ῥοδάνης ταῦτα, τῆς τῶν νησιωτῶν κατεντρυφῶν εὐηθείας.

4.    Pater, idemque sacerdos Euphratem pro Rhodane habet appellatque. Fugit et soror Euphratis Mesopotamia. Dein ad Sacan Euphrates ipse adducitur, interrogaturque de Sinonide: pro Rhodane enim habebatur, atque examinabatur. Indicat ergo Sacas Garmo regi captum esse Rhodanem, captandam quoque propediem Sinonidem. Euphrates enim quasi Rhodanes esset, in iudicio respondet, Sinonida, dum ipse caperetur, fuguisse. Coactus nimirum et ipse Sinonida appellare sororem suam Mesopotamiam.

Συλλαμβάνεται Εὐφράτης, ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἱερεύς, ὡς Ῥοδάνην αὐτὸν ὑπολαβών, οὕτως ἐπεκάλει· καὶ φεύγει Μεσοποταμία ἡ ἀδελφή. Καὶ πρὸς τὸν Σάκαν ἀπάγεται Εὐφράτης, καὶ ἀνακρίνεται περὶ Σινωνίδος· ὡς γὰρ Ῥοδάνης ἠτάζετο. Ἀποστέλλει Σάκας πρὸς Γάρμον ὅτι Ῥοδάνης συνείληπται καὶ Σινωνὶς συλληφθήσεται· ὁ γὰρ Εὐφράτης, ὡς Ῥοδάνης κρινόμενος ἔφη, τὴν Σινωνίδα συλλαμβανομένου αὐτοῦ πεφευγέναι, Σινωνίδα καλεῖν κἀκεῖνος ἐκβιαζόμενος τὴν ἀδελφὴν Μεσοποταμίαν.

5. Narratio deinde instituitur de Berenice Aegyptiorum regis filia, deque immani eius et infando amore, utque ad huius Mesopotamia colloquium ac familiaritatem pervenerit. Capta itaque post haec Mesopotamia a Saca, cum fratre suo Euphrate ad Garmum adducitur, qui, litteris aurifabri certior factus aufugisse Sinonida, et illum interfici, et omnes ad hanc custodiendam, atque adducendam lictores missos, una cum uxoribus ac liberis, defodi vivos iubet

Διάληψις περὶ Βερενίκης, ἥτις ἦν θυγάτηρ τοῦ βασιλέως Αἰγυπτίων, καὶ τῶν ἀγρίων αὐτῆς καὶ ἐκθέσμων ἐρώτων· καὶ ὅπως Μεσοποταμίᾳ τε συνεγίνετο, καὶ ὡς ὕστερον ὑπὸ Σάκα συνελήφθη Μεσοποταμία, καὶ πρὸς Γάρμον ἅμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ Εὐφράτῃ ἀπάγεται. Γράμμα δεξάμενος Γάρμος παρὰ τοῦ χρυσοχόου ὡς Σινωνὶς διαπέφευγε, προστάσσει ἐκεῖνόν τε ἀναιρεθῆναι καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ φυλακῇ ταύτης καὶ ἀγωγῇ σταλέντας αὐταῖς γυναιξὶ καὶ τέκνοις ζῶντας κατορυχθῆναι.

6. Interea Euphrates ad Garmum ducitur, quasi Rhodanes esset, et pro Sinonide Mesopotamia. Ducitur et Soraechus, verusque Rhodanes. Verum cognito Garmus Mesopotamiam non esse veram Sinonida, Zobarae eam tradidit, ad Euphratem fluvium capite truncandam, ne qua, inquit, alia Sinonidis nomen, eius exemplo, falso usurpet. Zobaras tamen Mesopotamiae possessus amore, servavit eam, et ad Berenicen Aegypti, iam patre exstincto, reginam unde ipse olim abductus fuerat, adducit, et Mesopotamiae nuptias Berenice facit. Qua etiam de causa bellum invicem Garmus et Berenice minantur.

Ἄγεται πρὸς Γάρμον Εὐφράτης ὡς Ῥοδάνης, καὶ ὡς Σινωνὶς Μεσοποταμία· ἄγεται καὶ Σόραιχος καὶ ὁ ἀληθὴς Ῥοδάνης. Καὶ διαγνοὺς ὁ Γάρμος μὴ εἶναι Σινωνίδα τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν, δίδωσι Ζοβάρᾳ παρὰ ποταμὸν Εὐφράτην καρατομῆσαι ἵνα μή, φησί, καὶ ἑτέρα τις τοῦ τῆς Σινωνίδος ἐπιβατεύσῃ ὀνόματος. Ὁ δὲ Ζοβάρας ἀπὸ πηγῆς ἐρωτικῆς πιὼν καὶ τῷ Μεσοποταμίας ἔρωτι σχεθείς, σῴζει τε ταύτην καὶ πρὸς Βερενίκην Αἰγυπτίων ἤδη, ἅτε τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτήσαντος βασιλεύουσαν, ἐξ ἧς ἦν καὶ ἀφελόμενος, ἄγει· καὶ γάμους Μεσοποταμίας ἡ Βερενίκη ποιεῖται, καὶ πόλεμος δι´ αὐτὴν Γάρμῳ καὶ Βερενίκῃ διαπειλεῖται.

--Photius, Bibliotheka, I.94 Translated into Latin by Christian Wolf et al. (1860)

1. The characters of the story are Sinonis & Rhodanes; they are a beautiful couple who love each other and are bound together in marriage.

When his wife died, King Garmos of Babylon catches sight of Sinonis, falls in love with her, and decides to marry her.  Sinonis does not consent to this, so she is bound in golden chains. Rhodanes is sent away to be crucified; the royal eunuchs Dama and Saca are hired to do the deed, but Rhodanes is freed through Sinonis’ quick thinking. Together they escape; she flees the marriage, he flees the cross…

[The lovers have various adventures; then Sinonis, thinking that they have been captured, stabs herself and needs medical care.  The couple decides to go to the Temple of Aphrodite to seek medical treatment.]

2. Then in a digression, the author describes the Temple of Aphrodite and the island it is situated on, which lies between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. One of Aphrodite’s priestesses there has three children: Euphrates, Tigris, and Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia was born very ugly, but transformed into a beautiful person by Aphrodite. Because of her beauty, a conflict arose between three of her suitors, and Borychus presided as judge over the outcome.  One argued that Mesopotamia had given him the goblet that she drank from; the other argued that she crowned him with a flower crown that she was wearing; the third argued that she kissed him. Even though the one she kissed was declared the winner, it did nothing to stop the suitors’ quarrel, and ultimately, they killed each other...

3. The priestess’ sons Tigris and Euphrates looked alike, and Rhodanes looked like them, too. Tigris had been killed by [a poisoned] rose; when his mother saw Rhodanes arriving at the island with Sinonis, she shrieked and declared that her dead son had returned to life, with Persephone by his side. Rhodanes went along with this, mocking the islanders’ backwards ways…

[Trouble lurks around the corner: Dama, King Garmos’ henchman, arrives at the temple in pursuit of the lovers…]

4. Euphrates’ father the priest calls his son Rhodanes by mistake, and so Euphrates is captured. His sister Mesopotamia flees. Being mistaken for Rhodanes, Euphrates is sent to Saca, and they interrogate him about Sinonis. Saca sends word to Garmos that Rhodanes has been captured, and that Sinonis has escaped. And Euphrates, still being treated like he’s Rhodanes, responds that Sinonis—really his sister Mesopotamia—fled when he was captured…

[More misadventures occur involving a goldsmith and his daughter…]

5. Then there’s the story of Princess Berenice of Egypt, and her wild and unseemly love affairs, including her “closeness” to Mesopotamia. And when Mesopotamia is captured by Saca, she is sent back to Garmos along with her brother Euphrates. Garmos, receiving a letter by a goldsmith that Sinonis had fled, orders that that man [Euphrates] be killed, and that the fake Sinonis [Mesopotamia] be buried alive with the women and children of the men guarding her.

[Another misadventure involving Sinonis trying to kill a day laborer’s daughter in a fit of jealousy.]

6. Euphrates (still thought to be Rhodanes) and Mesopotamia (still thought to be Sinonis) are brought to King Garmos. Soraechus is also brought in, as well as the true Rhodanes. Garmos realizes that Mesopotamia is not Sinonis, and hands her over to Zobara to be executed on the banks of the Euphrates river, to make an of example of her lest anyone else pretend to be Sinonis.   But Zobara, drunk on desire for Mesopotamia and in love with her, saves her and brings her back to Queen Berenice, (where she had been taken from). Now that her father is dead, Berenice is the new Pharoah of Egypt; she marries Mesopotamia, and threatens war against Garmos.

IAMBLICHUS	MAP:
Name:  Iamblichus Date:  2nd century CE Works:  Babyloniaca	REGION  4
BIO:	Timeline:
Iamblichus was a Greek novelist who lived in Roman Syria during the 2nd century CE. His novel, the Babyloniaca, only exists in epitome form.	ROMAN GREEK LITERATURE

 

PHOTIUS	MAP:
Name:   Date:  9th century CE Works:  Bibliotheka	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Nobleman, clergyman and author Photius led the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople during the 9th century CE. His impact on Church history and literature is immense; he was canonized as a saint in both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches. His work, the Bibliotheka, preserves epitomes of works that are no longer extant.	BYZANTINE / LATE GREEK