Alone in a Crowd: Cicero, Ad Att. I.18.1

The letters of Cicero reveal insights into aspects of ancient Roman masculinity. By reading these letters, we see that Roman men often had deep, loving and affectionate friendships with their peers. There is no shame or stigma in expressing love and support to one another.

I.XVIII (18)
Cicero Attico Sal.
[Rome, January 20, 60]

Nihil mihi nunc scito tam deesse uam hominem eum, quocum omnia, que me cura aliqua adficiunt, uno communicem, qui me amet, qui sapiat, quicum ego cum loquar, nihil fingam, nihil dissimulem, nihil obtegam. Abest enim frater aphelestatos et amantissimus. Metellus non homo, sed "litus atque aer et solitudo mera." Tu autem, qui saepissime curam et angorem animi mei sermone et consilio levasti tuo, qui mihi et in publica re socius et in privatis omnibus conscius et omnium meorum sermonum et consiliorum particeps esse soles, ubinam es? Ita sum ab omnibus destitutus. ut tantum requietis habeam, quantum cum uxore et filiola et mellito Cicerone consumitur. Nam illae ambitiosae nostrae fucosaeque amicitiae sunt in quodam splendore forensi, fructum domesticum non habent. Itaque, cum bene completa domus est tempore matutino, cum ad forum stipati gregibus amicorum descendimus, reperire ex magna turba neminem possumus, quocum aut iocari libere aut suspirare familiariter possimus. Quare te exspectamus, te desideramus, te iam etiam arcessimus. Multa sunt enim, quae me sollicitant anguntque; quae mihi videor aures nactus tuas unius ambulationis sermone exhaurire posse.

--Cicero, Ad Atticum I.xviii.1

Cicero to Atticus:

Seriously, the only thing I need right now is one person that I can unload my troubles to, who cares for me, who knows me, who can talk to me. I need someone I don’t have to be fake around, someone I don’t have to lie to, someone I don’t have to walk on eggshells around.

Right now my brother—my breath of fresh air, my dearest one—isn’t here. Metellus isn’t really a person, but a “deserted beach and air and empty desert.”

And you—who have so often comforted my anxiety and my stress with your kind words and advice, you who are my right-hand man in politics, you who know my every private thought, you who are usually by my side in all my dealings and all my business—where are you?

I have been so utterly forsaken by everybody, that the only refuge I can find is with my wife and my little girl and my sweet son Junior.

All of those social-climbing and fake “friends” I have in public don’t exist in private. Although my home office is full during business hours, and when I travel to the Forum I’m surrounded by a flock of “friends,” out of that giant flock of people, I can’t really find a single person with whom I can laugh or cry with.

And so I wait for you. I long for you. I’m begging for you. I’m really stressed right now. I feel like if I could just talk with you for a little bit, I’d be ok.

CICERO	MAP:
Name:  Marcus Tullius Cicero Date:  106 BCE – 43 BCE Works: de Amicitia                de Divinatione                Epistles                In Catilinam               Pro Archiam, etc.	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Cicero was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author who lived during the complexities of Rome’s transition from Republic to monarchy. Cicero spent most of his life in service of his country, serving as both a lawyer, senator, and even consul [Roman equivalent of president]. He is known for his suppression of the failed governmental coup in 63 BCE known as the Catilinarian conspiracy that occurred during his consulship. After the rise of Octavian [later known as the first Roman emperor Augustus], his views fell out of favor and he was eventually put to death during the proscriptions under the Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Marc Antony and Lepidus). He was a prolific author with a wide range in genres, and his literary style was adopted by Petrarch as the default model for the Latin language.	GOLDEN AGE ROME

Own Voices: A Fragment of Cleomachus, Poetae Lyrici Graeci xxxii

 Quis mihi calicem ademit?  Ego bibens…

Τίς την υδρίην ημών εψόφησ; εγω πίνων...

--Cleomachus, Poetae Lyrici Graeci Fragment II.32 (1853); Translated into Latin by K. Masters

Who took my cup? I was still drinking that…

CLEOMACHUS	MAP:
Name: Cleomachus   Date:  4th century BCE Works:  [fragments]	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
According to Strabo, Cleomachus was a boxer who became a poet after falling in love with a man. The Christian author Tertullian adds more information to this transformation, adding that the poet “covered the scars of their gauntlets with bangles, and exchanged their athletic uniform for a dress.”	HELLENISTIC GREEK

When Your Name Becomes A Verb: Cleomachus' Fame, Tricha On Meters p. 34

 Quod “Cleomachare” dicitur, est quibusdam metris uti, quibus Cleomachus poeta uti solebat. Qui primum pugil fuit, deinde in iuvenis cuiusdam amore  raptus, versus componere incepit.

τούτο δε και κλεομάχειον λέγεται, ότι πολλω αυτω  ό ποιητής Κλεόμαχος χρήται, ος πύκτης μέν πρότερον, ως φασίν, ήν, ερασθείς δε τινος νέου, την ποιητικήν μετεχειρίσατο.

--Tricha, De Metris p. 34; Translated into Latin by K. Masters

“To Cleomachize” is to use the poetic meter that Cleomachus used to use. Cleomachus was a boxer at first, then he fell in love with some guy (or so it goes), and began to write poetry.

TRICHA	MAP:
Name:  Tricha Date:  ??? Works:   On Meters	REGION  UNKNOWN
BIO:	Timeline:
Little is known about the life of Tricha, but this author’s work On Meters preserves numerous quotes of otherwise lost poets. It can be found in Appendix ad Draconem Stratonicensem (Teubner, 1814).	TIMELINE UNKNOWN

Challenging Misogyny: Aulus Gellius, Noct. Att. I.vi.1-3

Multis et eruditis viris audientibus legebatur oratio Metelli Numidici, gravis ac diserti viri, quam in censura dixit ad populum de ducendis uxoribus, cum eum ad matrimonia capessenda hortaretur. In ea oratione ita scriptum fuit: "Si sine uxore possemus, Quirites, omnes ea molestia careremus; set quoniam ita natura tradidit, ut nec cum illis satis commode, nec sine illis uno modo vivi possit, saluti perpetuae potius quam brevi voluptati consulendum est." Videbatur quibusdam Q. Metellum censorem, cui consilium esset ad uxores ducendas populum hortari, non oportuisse de molestia incommodisque perpetuis rei uxoriae confiteri, neque id hortari magis esse quam dissuadere absterrereque; set contra in id potius orationem debuisse sumi dicebant, ut et nullas plerumque esse in matrimoniis molestias adseveraret et, si quae tamen accidere nonnumquam viderentur, parvas et leves facilesque esse toleratu diceret maioribusque eas emolumentis et voluptatibus oblitterari easdemque ipsas neque omnibus neque naturae vitio, set quorundam maritorum culpa et iniustitia evenire. 

 

--Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae I.VI.1-3

The following speech was delivered by the serious and articulate Metellus Numidicus to an audience of many learned men. He delivered this speech on marriage when he was a Censor, when he ought to have encouraged people to marry. In this speech, he said,

 

“Citizens, if we could live without wives, we would all live a trouble-free life. But since nature has arranged that ‘we can’t live with them, can’t live without them,’ we should probably get married so we can have future stability instead of brief pleasure.”

Many people think that as a Censor [who ought to have encouraged people to get married], Metellus shouldn’t have brought up the inconveniences and usual troubles of matrimony, and that this speech seemed to dissuade people from getting married instead of encouraging them. Instead, they say he ought to have said that there aren’t really any troubles in marriage, and if some happen occasionally, they are easy to manage, and that the good times outweigh the bad times. Moreover, these “bad times” do not occur naturally, but only happen because of the spouse’s misdeed.

AULUS GELLIUS

MAP:

Name:  Aulus Gellius

Date:  2^nd. c. CE

Works:  Attic Nights

 

REGION  UNKNOWN

BIO:

Timeline:

 Aulus Gellius lived during the 2^nd century CE. His work, the Attic Nights, are a collection of anecdotes about literature, history, and grammar.  From internal evidence, we can deduce that he was in the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ social circle, having close friendships with Herodes Atticus and Fronto.

 SILVER AGE LATIN

 

Found Family: Cleomachus, The Boxer/Poet: Strabo, Geog. XIV.1.41

Item Cleomachus pugil, qui in cinaedi* cuiusdam & ancillae amore incidens, quae a cinaedo alebatur, cinaedorum et orationem et mores est imitatus.

καὶ Κλεόμαχος ὁ πύκτης, ὃς εἰς ἔρωτα ἐμπεσὼν κιναίδου* τινὸς καὶ παιδίσκης ὑπὸ τῷ κιναίδῳ τρεφομένης ἀπεμιμήσατο τὴν ἀγωγὴν τῶν παρὰ τοῖς κιναίδοις διαλέκτων καὶ τῆς ἠθοποιίας:

--Strabo, Geographica XIV.1.40; Translated into Latin by Conradus Heresbachius  (1539)

Cleomachus the Boxer fell in love with a certain cinaedus* and the girl he was raising, and began to imitate the speech patterns and mannerisms of a cinaedus.

* The term cinaedus is an umbrella term and cannot be translated. The original term refers to a bird that wiggles its tail, used to describe exotic dancers who "shake their booty." It can refer to prostitutes, same-sex couples, non-binary persons, etc. Although some authors use it as an insult (e.g., Catullus), it does not always have a negative connotation; Phlegon of Tralles uses this term to describe men capable of giving birth. 

STRABO	MAP:
Name:  Strabo Date:  64 BCE – 24 CE Works:  Geographica	REGION  4 / 5
BIO:	Timeline:
Strabo was a Greek author who lived in Amasia (modern day Turkey) during the 1st century BCE. His magnum opus, a seventeen volume study of geography, was the result of his extensive travels throughout his lifetime.	GOLDEN AGE LATIN

A Boxer, and A Fighter By Her Trade: Cleomachus, Tertullian de Pallio IV.4

Sed et qui ante Tirynthium accesserat, pugil Cleomachus, post Olympiae cum incredibili mutatu de masculo fluxisset, intra cutem caesus et ultra, inter Fullonesiam Nouianos coronandus meritoque mimographo Lentulo in Catinensibus commemoratus, utique sicut uestigia cestuum uiriis occupauit, ita et endromidis solocem aliqua multicia synthesi extrusit.

--Tertullian de Pallio IV.4

But there’s someone who surpasses the “Tirynthian” [Hercules*]: the boxer Cleomachus! After his masculinity underwent an unbelievable transformation at Olympia, (where he had his surgery) he was lauded in Novius’ Fullers’ Tale and memorialized in the mime Lentulus’ Catinians. He covered the scars of his gauntlets with bangles, and exchanged his athletic uniform for a dress.

TERTULLIAN

MAP:

Name:  Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus

Date:  2^nd century CE

Works:  Apologia

De Pallio

 

REGION  3

BIO:

Timeline:

 Tertullian was an early Christian theologian who lived in Carthage during the 2^nd century CE. He was a prolific author, and his works deeply influenced early Christian thought.

 AGE OF CONFLICT

Caeneus: A Trans Warrior Battling Centaurs, Apollodorus Epitome xxii

 Trigger Warning: rape

Caeneus, virgo ab Neptuno compressa, petiit ut vir fieret, et atrotus*; et sic evenit. Qui cum pugnaret contra centauros, multos se incolumi interfecit; tandem reliqui centaurorum eum circumstantes abietibus in terram compresserunt et suffocaverunt.

ὅτι Καινεὺς πρότερον ἦν γυνή, συνελθόντος δὲ αὐτῇ Ποσειδῶνος ᾐτήσατο ἀνὴρ γενέσθαι ἄτρωτος: διὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κενταύρους μάχῃ τραυμάτων καταφρονῶν πολλοὺς τῶν Κενταύρων ἀπώλεσεν, οἱ δὲ λοιποί, περιστάντες αὐτῷ, ἐλάταις τύπτοντες ἔχωσαν εἰς γῆν.

atrotus, a, um (ἄτρωτος ): unwounded, invulnerable 

--Apollodorus, Epitome I.22; Translated into Latin by K. Masters

 

Caeneus was originally a woman, but after being attacked by Poseidon, asked to become an invulnerable man. Therefore, when he was battling the centaurs, he slew many of them without receiving any injury himself, until finally the remaining centaurs surrounded him and drove him into the earth with fir trees. 

APOLLODORUS	MAP:
Name:   Date:  1st – 2nd c. CE Works:  Bibliotheca	REGION  UNKNOWN
BIO:	Timeline:
The Bibliotheca is a collection of Greek myths written between the 1st and 2nd century CE. Although originally thought to be written by the Athenian author Apollodorus (2nd c. BCE), it is now thought to be an epitome of a larger work written centuries later.	ROMAN GREECE

Challenging Gender Roles: Alexander the Great's Gender-Bending Outfits, Athenaeus, Deipnos. XII.53

 Ephippus vero scribit: "Etiam sacras vestes in cenis gestasse Alexandrum: nunc quidem Hammonis purpuram, & fissiles soleas & cornua, velut ipse Deus; nunc vero Dianae, cuius cultum saepe etiam sumebat quum curru veheretur, Persica quidem stola indutus, sed ita ut supra humeros arcus Deae & spiculum emineret. Subinde etiam Mercurii cultum; alias quidem fere ac quotidie chlamydem purpueram & tunicam medio albo intertexto & causiam cui diadema regium circum positum; ubi vero cum amicis una esset, talaria, & petasum in capite, & caduceum in manu: saepe vero etiam leoninam pellem & clavam, veluti Hercules."

ἔφιππος δέ φησιν ὡς Ἀλέξανδρος καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς  ἐσθῆτας ἐφόρει ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις, ὁτὲ μὲν τὴν τοῦ Ἄμμωνος πορφυρίδα καὶ περισχιδεῖς καὶ κέρατα καθάπερ ὁ θεός, ὁτὲ δὲ τὴν τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος, ἣν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἅρματος ἐφόρει πολλάκις, ἔχων τὴν Περσικὴν στολήν, ὑποφαίνων ἄνωθεν τῶν ὤμων τό τε τόξον καὶ τὴν σιβύνην, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ: τὰ μὲν ἄλλα σχεδὸν καὶ καθ᾽ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν χλαμύδα τε πορφυρᾶν καὶ χιτῶνα μεσόλευκον καὶ τὴν καυσίαν ἔχουσαν τὸ διάδημα τὸ βασιλικόν, ἐν δὲ τῇ συνουσίᾳ τά τε πέδιλα καὶ τὸν πέτασον ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ καὶ τὸ κηρύκειον ἐν τῇ χειρί, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ λεοντῆν καὶ ῥόπαλον ὥσπερ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς.

--Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XII.53, Translated into Latin by Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1804)

Ephippus also states that Alexander the Great also wore sacred garments to dinner. Sometime he wore Ammon’s sacred purple garb, open-toe sandals, and horns, just like the god would. Sometimes he dressed in Artemis’ garb; he usually did this when he was riding in a chariot, with the Persian cloak, wearing the goddess’ bow on his shoulders and brandishing her spear in his hand. Sometimes he dressed like Hermes; but on most days, he would wear a purple cloak, a tunic with white stripes, and a royal miter, with a crown on top. When he was hanging out with his entourage, he would wear Hermes' iconic sandals and hat, with the god's Caduceus in his hand. Sometimes he wore even Hercules’ lion pelt and club.”

ATHENAEUS

MAP:

Name:  Athenaeus

Date:  2^nd c. CE

Works:  Deipnosophists

 

REGION  4

BIO:

Timeline:

 Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

 ROMAN GREEK LITERATURE

Dorkion's Gaze, Greek Anthology XII.161.1-3

Dorcium quae ephebis-gaudet scit, ut delicatus puer*,

iaculari communis Cypridis velocem sagittam, [pendens

cupidinem fulgurans ab oculo, [sui] super humeros...

Δόρκιον ἡ φιλέφηβος ἐπίσταται, ὡς ἁπαλὸς παῖς,

ἕσθαι πανδήμου Κύπριδος ὠκὺ βέλος,

ἵμερον ἀστράπτουσα κατ᾽ ὄμματος, ἠδ᾽ ὑπὲρ ὤμων...

--Asclepiades, Greek Anthology XII.161.1-3

Dorkion, the tomboy, knows how to cast a loving gaze

Over their shoulder

And shoot a love-dart from their eyes

Just like a boyfriend would. 

*The term puer delicatus usually refers to a slave; it is likely that Dorkion is not a free person.

ASCLEPIADES	MAP:
Name:  Asclepiades of Samos Date:  3rd c. BCE Works:  [fragments included in the Greek Anthology]	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
Asclepiades of Samos was a Greek lyric poet from the 3rd century BCE. His works are preserved in the Greek Anthology, a collection of Greek lyric poetry that spans numerous genres, topics, and authors.	HELLENISTIC Greek Literature

"Where Are My Roses?" Lyrics to a Slow Dance, Athenaeus, Deipn. xiv.27

Erat vero etiam apud privatos saltatio quae flores vocabatur. Hanc saltabant, cum mimico motu verba haec pronunciantes:

Ubi mihi rosae? Ubi mihi violae?

Ubi mihi apia pulcra?

Ubi mihi rosae hae? Violae hae?

Apia haec pulchra?

 

ἦν δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἰδιώταις ἡ καλουμένη ἄνθεμα. ταύτην δὲ ὠρχοῦντο μετὰ λέξεως τοιαύτης μιμούμενοι καὶ λέγοντες:

 

ποῦ μοι τὰ ῥόδα, ποῦ μοι τὰ ἴα, ποῦ μοι τὰ καλὰ σέλινα;

ταδὶ τὰ ῥόδα, ταδὶ τὰ ἴα, ταδὶ τὰ καλὰ σέλινα.

--Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XIV.27; Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

There is a slow dance for couples called “The Flowers,” where they act out a dance as they say,

“Where are my roses?

Where are my violets?

Where is my beautiful parsley?”

“Here are your roses,

Here are your violets,

Here is your beautiful parsley.”

ATHENAEUS	MAP:
Name:  Athenaeus Date:  2nd c. CE Works:  Deipnosophists	REGION  4
BIO:	Timeline:
Athenaeus was a scholar who lived in Naucratis (modern Egypt) during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations they preserve of otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.	ROMAN GREEK LITERATURE

Matrona vs. Mater Familias? Aulus Gellius DiscussesTerminology of Women, Noct. Att. XVIII.vi.4-9

 This passage provides insight into the objectification and treatment of women in ancient Rome.

[4] Ex eo libro verba haec suit: “' Matrona ' est quae semel peperit, quae saepius, ' mater familias'; sicuti sus quae semel peperit, 'porcetra,' quae saepius, 'scrofa.'” [5] Utrum autem hoc de matrona ac de matrefamilias Melissus excogitaverit ipse et coniectaverit, an scripture ab alio quo legerit, hariolis profecto est opus. [6] Nam de “porcetra” habet sane auctorem Pomponium in Atellania, quae hoc eodem vocabulo inscripta est; [7] sed “matronam” non esse appellatam nisi quae semel peperit, neque “matrem familias” nisi quae saepius, nullis veterum scriptorum auctoritatibus confirmari potest. [8] Enimvero illud impendio probabilius est quod idonei vocum antiquarum enarratores tradiderunt, “matronam” dictam esse proprie quae in matrimonium cum viro convenisset, quoad in eo matrimonio maneret, etiamsi liberi nondum nati forent, dictamque ita esse a matris nomine, non adepto iam, sed cum spe et omine mox adipiscendi, unde ipsum quoque “matrimonium” [9] dicitur, “matrem” autem “familias” appellatam esse eam solam quae in mariti manu mancipioque aut in eius in cuius maritus manu mancipioque esset, quoniam non in matrimonium tantum, sed in familiam quoque mariti et in sui heredis locum venisset.

--Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae XVIII.vi.4-9

(4) In his book, [Aulus Melissus] states, “A matron [matrona] is a woman who gave birth once, but a matriarch [mater familias] is a woman who gave birth to many children, just like a pig who has given birth once is called a porcetra, and a pig that has given birth multiple times is called a scrofa. (5) But heaven knows whether it is the author’s opinion on this terminology, or if he made it up himself. (6) Pomponius has attested the specific usage of porcetra in his Atellania, (7) but I can’t confirm in ancient testimonia what he says about matrons and matriarchs. (8) It’s more likely to be true what better scholars state on this topic, that a woman is called a matron who enters a marriage with a man, and continues to be a matron as long as she remains married to him, even before the arrival of children. She obtains the name of a mother [a matris nomine] before she becomes one, in the hope that soon she will be one. This is where we get the term “marriage / matrimony” [matrimonium]; but a woman is only called a matriarch when she is under the authority of her husband [maritus] or in the power of his family, because then she is not only married to him, but also now a member of his family and one of the beneficiaries of his will.

AULUS GELLIUS

MAP:

Name:  Aulus Gellius

Date:  2^nd. c. CE

Works:  Attic Nights

 

REGION  UNKNOWN

BIO:

Timeline:

 Aulus Gellius lived during the 2^nd century CE. His work, the Attic Nights, are a collection of anecdotes about literature, history, and grammar.  From internal evidence, we can deduce that he was in the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ social circle, having close friendships with Herodes Atticus and Fronto.

 SILVER AGE LATIN