Eutropius, Killed By Enemies of the State: Zosimus, Historia 5.18.5

Author: Zosimus

Region: Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey)

Date: late 5th / early 6th century CE

Citation: Historia, 5.18.5, translated into Latin by C. G. Heynius (1784)

And so Eutropius experienced both ends of luck’s spectrum in an unusual manner. For he reached the pinnacle of power [as a consul of Rome], which a eunuch had never done before, but then he was killed out of hatred by people who were enemies of the government.

Et Eutropio quidem n utramque partem insolito fortuna modo quodam est usa. Nam et tantum ad culmen eum evexit, quantum nullus eunuchorum umquam adtigit;et neci dedit, propter odium, quo se illum persequi hostes reipublicae dicerent.

Εὐτροπίῳ μὲν οὖν ἡ τύχη κατ ̓ ἀμφότερα παραλόγως ἐχρήσατο, πρὸς ὕψος ἄρασα τοσοῦτον ὅσον οὐδὲ εἷς πώποτε τῶν εὐνούχων ἀνεβιβάσθη, θάνατόν τε ἐπαγαγοῦσα διὰ τὸ μῖσος ὃ πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ τῇ πολιτείᾳ πολεμοῦντες ἔλεγον ἔχειν.

Dux Femina Facti: Zenobia, A Better Warrior Than A Man, SHA Duorum Gallienorum 13.1-5

Zenobia vs. Gallienus

Name: Scriptores Historia Augusta Date:   Unknown Region:    Unknown Citation:     Life of The Two Gallieni 13.1-5

Often, authors will use depictions of other nations as a mirror for their own society. Here Zenobia’s exploits are used to criticize Gallienus’ masculinity and ability to rule effectively.  

At that time, Odenathus was killed by his cousin’s plot. He was killed along with his son Herodes, whom he had also named emperor. Since his remaining children Herennianus and Timolaus were too young to rule, his wife Zenobia took the throne. She ruled for a long time, not in a womanly manner, or like a girl, but cleverly and boldly, not only dissimilar to Gallienus (who any woman could do a better job than), but also even other rulers. For when Gallienus heard that Odenathus died, he gathered his forces for a war against the Persians in a too-little-too-late attempt to avenge his father. He assembled the troops and managed the war as a clever leader through the management of Heraclian. However, when Heraclian set out against the Persians, he was defeated by the Palmyrans and lost all of his soldiers, since Zenobia was ruling both Palmyra and many other eastern cities in a manly fashion.

Zenobia vs. Gallienus

Per idem tempus Odenatus insidiis consobrini sui interemptus est cum filio Herode, quem et ipsum imperatorem appellaverat. Cum Zenobia, uxor eius, quod parvuli essent filii eius, qui supererant, Herennianus et Timolaus, ipsa suscepit imperium diuque rexit, non muliebriter neque more femineo, sed non solum Gallieno, quo quae virgo melius imperare potuisset, verum etiam multis imperatoribus fortius atque solertius. Gallienus sane, ubi ei nuntiatum Odenatum interemptum, bellum Persis ad seram nimis vindictam patris paravit collectisque per Heraclianum ducem militibus sollertis principis rem gerebat. Qui tamen Heraclianus, cum contra Persas profectus esset, a Palmyrenis victus omnes, quos paraverat, milites perdidit, Zenobia Palmyrenis et orientalibus plerisque viriliter imperante.

Scriptores Historiae Augustae Little is known about the author(s) of the Historia Augusta; even internal evidence within the text is either falsified, skewed or utterly fictitious. Although attributed to six different authors, the text was likely written by a single author living during the 4th century CE. It is a series of imperial biographies modeled after the works of Suetonius; these biographies cover the reigns of the emperors Hadrian through Carus.

Dux Femina Facti: Zenobia, the Warrior Queen, SHA Trig. Tyr. 30.1-3

Zenobia, Following in the Footsteps of Greatness

Name: Scriptores Historia Augusta Date:   Unknown Region:    Unknown Citation:     Life of The Thirty Tyrants 30.1-3

Often, authors will use depictions of other nations as a mirror for their own society. Here Zenobia’s exploits are used to criticize Gallienus’ masculinity and ability to rule effectively.  

All decency is gone, when the broken down state has come to such a new low that on good-for-nothing Gallienus’ watch that even women can rule well—even foreign ones! For Zenobia, a foreigner (about whom much ink has been spilled) who boasted that she was descended from Cleopatra and the Ptolemies of Egypt, took up rule after the death of her husband Odenathus. Wearing a military cloak on her shoulders, and dressed like Dido, she took up the crown in the name of her sons Herennianus and Timolaus, and ruled longer than a woman should. This woman ruled while Gallienus was in charge at Rome and while Claudius was distracted by his war with the Goths, and was just barely (but ultimately) defeated by Aurelian. Finally defeated by him, she was led in triumph at Rome and gave up her throne.

Zenobia, Following in the Footsteps of Greatness

Omnis iam consumptus est pudor, si quidem fatigata re publica eo usque perventum est, ut Gallieno nequissime agente optime etiam mulieres imperarent, et quidem peregrinae. Peregrina enim, nomine Zenobia, de qua multa iam dicta sunt, quae se de Cleopatrarum Ptolemaeorumque gente iactaret, post Odenatum maritum imperiali sagulo perfuso per umeros, habitu Didonis ornata, diademate etiam accepto, nomine filiorum Herenniani et Timolai diutius, quam femineus sexus patiebatur, imperavit. Si quidem Gallieno adhuc regente rem publicam regale mulier superba munus obtinuit et Claudio bellis Gothicis occupato vix denique ab Aureliano victa et triumphata concessit in iura Romana.

Scriptores Historiae Augustae Little is known about the author(s) of the Historia Augusta; even internal evidence within the text is either falsified, skewed or utterly fictitious. Although attributed to six different authors, the text was likely written by a single author living during the 4th century CE. It is a series of imperial biographies modeled after the works of Suetonius; these biographies cover the reigns of the emperors Hadrian through Carus.

"Do not call me 'lord,' for I am a lady," Bassiana / Elegabalus in Zonoras' History

Not A Lord, But a Lady

Name: Joannes Zonoras Date: 1070 – 1140 CE  Region:  Constantinople [modern Turkey] Citation:  Excerpts from Roman History 12.14d - 15b

  [Bassiana / Elegabalus] was not content with this alone; they also raced chariots, danced, and even wanted to be a bride. They wanted to be bound legally to their husband, whom they titled Caesar. They enjoyed being called “lady” and “empress,” wore a veil, spun wool, and used makeup. They shaved their face to seem feminine. Their husband was a former slave named Hierocles...

When he said to them, “Hail, Lord Emperor,” they would curtsy like a woman, and replied with a wink, “Don’t call me, ‘lord,’ for I am a lady.”

καὶ οὐχ οὕτω μόνον ἠσέλγαινεν, ἡρματηλάτει τε καὶ ὠρχεῖτο ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνδρα σχεῖν ἤθελεν ἕνα ὥσπερ γαμέτην δή τινα νόμιμον, καὶ Καίσαρα αὐτὸν ἐβούλετο προχειρίσασθαι καὶ δέσποινα καὶ βασιλὶς ὠνομάζετο καὶ ἐφόρει κεκρύφαλον καὶ ἐριούργει καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑπεγράφετο. ἅπαξ τε τὸ γένειον ἀποκείρας μετέπειτα ἐψιλίζετο ἵνα δοκοίη γυνή. ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς Καρικὸν ἦν ἀνδράποδον, ἐκαλεῖτο δ ̓ Ἱεροκλῆς.. [1] καί τις δ’  Ἀυρήλιος καλὸς μὲν καὶ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα τὰ δ ̓ αἰδοῖα φέρων ὑπερμεγέθη ἐμηνύθη αὐτῷ καὶ αὐτίκα ὑπὸ πομπῇ μεγαλοπρεπεῖ προσήχθη. ᾧ προσειπόντι “χαῖρε κύριε αὐτόκρατορ,” ἐκεῖνος θρύψει γυναικώδει τὸν αὐχένα παρεγκλίνας καὶ ἐπιμύσας βραχύ τι τὰ ὄμματα, “μή με λέγε κύριον,” ἔφη, “ἐγὼ γὰρ κυρία εἰμί.”

Neque bis flagitiis contentus, aurigabat, saltabat, nubere etiam volebat, ut unum legitimum maritum haberet, quem Caesarem designaret: ac dominae et imperatricis nomine gaudebat, calanticam gestans, et lanam tractans, et genas pingens. Barbam semel quoquo abrasam, postea psilothro curabat ut muliercula videretur, cuius mulierculae maritus erat Caricum mancipium, nomine Hierocles... Qui cum ei dixisset: “Salve, domine imperator,” ille muliebri mollitie collo inclinato, et oculis nonnihil conniventibus: “Ne me dominum,” inquit, “dixeris, domina enim sum.”  Translated into Latin by Berthold Georg Niebuhr

[1]  Zonoras continues with misogynistic language which will not be published here.

Joannas Zonoras [1074 – 1145 CE, Modern Turkey] was an 11th century Byzantine scholar known for his Excerpts from Roman History.

Two Inscriptions On the Worship of Antinous

Remembered Among the Stars: Hadrian Honors His Dead Lover by Deifying Antinous

Name: Marcus Oulpius Apollonius Date:  2nd century CE Region:  Rome [modern Italy] Citation:    Cagnat, R., ed. Inscriptiones Graecae ad Res Romanas Pertinentes, Vol 1.31-32 (1911) 32

To Antinous, equal-throned among the Egyptian gods, Marcus Oulpius Apollonius Sacerdos Dedicates This...

ANTINOΣ ΣΥΝΘΡΟΝΩ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΑΙΓΥΠΤΩ ΘΕΩΝ Μ ΟΥΛΠΙOC AΠΟΛΛΩNIOΣ ПРОФТНС

Antinoi, pariter-regnans apud Aegyptios deos, M. Oulpios Apollonius Sacerdos Translated into Latin by Kris Masters

 

Name: Unknown Date:  2nd century CE Region:  Inscription found in the Campus Martius, Rome [modern Italy] Citation:    31

To Antinous, equal-throned among the Egy...

ANTINOΣ ΣΥΝΘΡΟΝΩ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΑΙΓΥ...

Antinoi, pariter-regnans apud Aegy... Translated into Latin by Kris Masters

 

 

Married to Her Passion: the Ace Roman Painter Iaia, Pliny the Elder Nat. Hist. 35.147-148

Iaia, The Best of Women Artists

Name: Pliny the Elder Date: 23 – 79 CE Region:  Como [modern Italy]; Rome [modern Italy] Citation:  Natural History, 35.147-148

There were also women painters:

·         Timarete, the daughter of Micon, [the creator of] Diana, a painting in Ephesus that is among the oldest

·         Irene, the daughter and protégé of the painter Cratinus, [the creator of] Proserpina (which is on display at Eleusis), as well as a painting of Calypso, an old man, and the juggler Theodorus, as well as the dancer Alcisthenes

·         Aristarete, the daughter and protégé of Nearchus, [the creator of] Aesculapius

·         Iaia of Cyzicus, who never married, was a painter at Rome during the time of Marcus Varro’s youth, did both paintings and engravings in ivory. Her specialty was portraits of women, the most famous of which is on display at Naples, a huge portrait of an old woman, as well as a self portrait in a mirror. No painter was faster at the art, and she was so skilled that her works were more valuable than even very famous artists of the time period, Sopolis and Dionysius, whose paintings litter our modern museums.

·         Some woman named Olympias, but the only thing we really still know about her was that she had a protégé named Autobulus.

Pinxere et mulieres:

·        Timarete, Miconis filia, Dianam, quae in tabula Ephesi est antiquissimae picturae;

·        Irene, Cratini pictoris filia et discipula, puellam, quae est Eleusine, Calypso, senem et praestigiatorem Theodorum, Alcisthenen saltatorem;

·        Aristarete, Nearchi filia et discipula, Aesculapium.

·        Iaia Cyzicena, perpetua virgo, M. Varronis iuventa Romae et penicillo pinxit et cestro in ebore imagines mulierum maxime et Neapoli anum in grandi tabula, suam quoque imaginem ad speculum. Nec ullius velocior in pictura manus fuit, artis vero tantum, ut multum manipretiis antecederet celeberrimos eadem aetate imaginum pictores Sopolim et Dionysium, quorum tabulae pinacothecas inplent.

Pinxit et quaedam Olympias, de qua hoc solum memoratur, discipulum eius fuisse Autobulum.

Pliny the Elder [Gaius Plinius Secundus; 23 – 79 CE, modern Italy] 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.

They were Roommates? Suetonius on the life of Hyginus, de Gram. 20.1-3

Name: Suetonius Date:  69 - 122 CE Region: Numidia [modern Algeria]    Citation:  de Gramm. 20.1-3

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.

Caius Julius Hyginus, one of Augustus’ freedmen, was from Hispania [modern Spain].  Some think that he was actually from Alexandria [modern Egypt], and brought to Rome as a boy by Caesar after the fall of Alexandria. He studied under the Greek scholar Cornelius Alexander (whom many called the Scholar because of his vast knowledge of history), then followed in his footsteps. He was in charge of the Palatine library, and despite this, still had the time to teach many people. He was very close friends with the poet Ovid and Clodius Licinius, the former consul and historian who, after Hyginus fell into poverty, supported him financially for as long as he lived. Hyginus’ freedman was Julius Modestus, a scholar who followed in his patron’s footsteps in both education and area of expertise.

  

C. Iulius Hyginus Augusti libertus, natione Hispanus,—nonnulli Alexandrinum putant et a Caesare puerum Romam adductum Alexandria capta—studiose et audiit et imitatus est Cornelium Alexandrum grammaticum Graecum quem propter antiquitatis notitiam Polyhistorem multi, quidam Historiam vocabant. Praefuit Palatinae bibliothecae nec eo secius plurimos docuit fuitque familiarissimus Ovidio poetae et Clodio Licino consulari historico qui eum admodum pauperem decessisse tradit et liberalitate sua quoad vixerit sustentatum. Huius libertus fuit Iulius Modestus in studiis atque doctrina vestigia patroni secutus.

  

 Suetonius was a Roman biographer from Numidia (modern Algeria). He is known for his work the de Vitis Caesarum, a collection of biographies on the first twelve Roman emperors.

 

Not a Lord, But a Lady: Elegabalus / Bassiana, Cassius Dio, Roman History 80.16.3-5

Name:  Cassius Dio Date:     155 – 235 CE  Region:   Nicaea [modern Turkey] Citation:      Roman History 80.16.3-5

When Elagabalus / Bassiana saw Zoticus, she leapt up gracefully, and when he greeted her, saying “Greetings, Emperor,” she shook her head and flashed him a smile, replying, “Don’t call me ‘lord,’ for I am a lady.”

καὶ ὃς ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀνέθορέ τε ἐρρυθμισμένως, καὶ προσειπόντα, οἷα εἰκὸς ἦν, ‘κύριε αὐτοκράτορ χαῖρε,’ θαυμαστῶς τόν τε αὐχένα γυναικίσας καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπεγκλάσας ἠμείψατο, καὶ ἔφη οὐδὲν διστάσας  ‘μή με λέγε κύριον: ἐγὼ γὰρ κυρία εἰμί.’

Quem ut ille conspexit, exiliit gestu modulato: quumque ab eo salutaretur, ut par erat, "Domine Imperator salve," ipse mirum & mulibrem in modum cervice inflexa, oculisque intortis, nil cunctatus respondit: "Ne me Dominum voces, Domina enim ego sum."

Translated into Latin by Hermann Samuel Reimarus, 1753

Cassius Dio [Lucius Cassius Dio; 165 – 235 CE, modern Turkey] was a Roman statesman born in Nicaea, Bithynia [modern Turkey] who wrote an 80 volume work on Roman history that spanned from Aeneas’ flight from Troy to the rise of the emperor Severus Alexander. Although much of his history is lost, the fragments that we do have show rare insight into the Roman world.

Hierocles, Husband to an Empress, Cassius Dio, Roman History, 80.15.1-3

Name:  Cassius Dio Date:     155 – 235 CE  Region:   Nicaea [modern Turkey] Citation:      Roman History 80.15.1-3

It is important to note that, like the Hadrian/Antinous, Domitian/Earinus, Caracalla/Festus, Nero/Sporus and other Imperial couples, the disparity in social classes between the two lovers may negate the consent of the relationship and should not be romanticized in modern times. 

[Elegabala’ / Bassiana’s] husband was the Carian slave Hierocles, who had been Gordian’s concubine; he learned how to drive a chariot during this relationship. This skill is how the Emperor Elegabala / Bassiana met him, for while Hierocles was racing, he happened to fall out of his chariot right in front of the Emperor’s seat. He lost his helmet in the fall; the sight of the baby-faced blond youth captivated the ruler, and so Hierocles was snatched up and immediately sent to the Palace. Hierocles’ romantic skills captivated the ruler even more, and his clout rose to such prominence that, even though his mother was a slave, she was brought to Rome under military escort, where she was awarded the rank of Consular Mother.

 * Sardanapalus was a mythical Assyrian king known for his extravagance and gender-bending lifestyle

ὁ δὲ δὴ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς Ἱεροκλῆς ἦν, Καρικὸν ἀνδράποδον, Γορδίου ποτὲ παιδικὰ γενόμενον, παρ᾽ οὗ καὶ ἁρματηλατεῖν ἔμαθεν. κἀκ τούτου καὶ παραδοξότατα αὐτῷ ἠρέσθη. ἐν γάρ τοι ἱπποδρομίᾳ τινὶ ἐκπεσὼν τοῦ ἅρματος κατ᾽ αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ Σαρδαναπάλλου* ἕδραν τό τε κράνος ἐν τῇ πτώσει ἀπέρριψε, καὶ ἐκφανεὶς αὐτῷ ῾λειογένειος δ᾽ ἔτι ἦν καὶ κόμῃ ξανθῇ ἐκεκόσμητὀ ἀνηρπάσθη τε εὐθὺς ἐς τὸ παλάτιον, κἀν τοῖς νυκτερινοῖς ἔργοις ἔτι καὶ μᾶλλον ἑλὼν αὐτὸν ὑπερηυξήθη, ὥστε καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ἰσχῦσαι, καὶ βραχύ τι νομισθῆναι τὸ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ ἔτι δούλην οὖσαν ἔς τε τὴν Ῥώμην ὑπὸ στρατιωτῶν ἀχθῆναι κἀν ταῖς τῶν ὑπατευκότων γυναιξὶ συναριθμηθῆναι.

Erat vero vir eius, Hierocles quidam, Caricum mancipium, [qui Gordio quondam in deliciis fuerat,] a quo currus etiam agitare didicerat: qua occasione Imperatior, praeter exspectationem, placere coepit. Quum enim aliquando ludis Circensibus, e curru, ante Sardanapali* sellam, decidisset, inque eo casu galeam proiecisset; aperto capite conspectus ab illo, (imberbis autem adhuc & flava ornatus coma erat), statim raptus est in Palatium; & quum nocturnis flagitiis magis etiam cepisset Imperatorem, ita potentia auctus est, ut illo ipso plus posset; ac parum esse videretur, quod mater eius, servili adhuc conditione a militibus deduta in urbem, Consularium relata sit in numerum matronarum.

Translated into Latin by Hermann Samuel Reimarus, 1753

Cassius Dio [Lucius Cassius Dio; 165 – 235 CE, modern Turkey] was a Roman statesman born in Nicaea, Bithynia [modern Turkey] who wrote an 80 volume work on Roman history that spanned from Aeneas’ flight from Troy to the rise of the emperor Severus Alexander. Although much of his history is lost, the fragments that we do have show rare insight into the Roman world.

The Emperor's Gender: Cassius Dio on Elegabalus, Roman History 80.14.3-4

Bassiana / Elegabalus Living as a Lady

Name:  Cassius Dio Date:     155 – 235 CE  Region:   Nicaea [modern Turkey] Citation:      Roman History 80.14.3-4

 At court, [Bassiana /Elegabalus] kept their appearance as a man, but everywhere else they kept the appearance and voice of a woman. And they danced all the time in public, not just on stage, but also wherever they walked, when they made sacrifices, and when they were holding court. Finally, to circle back to my original point, they got married as a bride, and were called “wife,” “milady,” and “Queen.” They spun wool, wore a veil, wore eyeliner, makeup, and anklets.

 

ὅτι ἐν τῷ δικάζειν τινὰ ἀνήρ πως εἶναι ἐδόκει, ἐν δὲ δὴ τοῖς ἄλλοις τῷ ἔργῳ καὶ τῷ σχήματι τῆς φωνῆς ὡραΐζετο. τά τε γὰρ ἄλλα καὶ ὠρχεῖτο, οὔτι γε ἐν ὀρχήστρᾳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμβαδίζων τρόπον τινὰ καὶ θύων ἀσπαζόμενός τε καὶ δημηγορῶν. καὶ τέλος, ἵν᾽ ἤδη ἐπὶ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς λόγον ἐπανέλθω, καὶ ἐγήματο, γυνή τε καὶ δέσποινα βασιλίς τε ὠνομάζετο, καὶ ἠριούργει, κεκρύφαλόν τε ἔστιν ὅτε ἐφόρει, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐνηλείφετο, ψιμυθίῳ τε καὶ ἐγχούσῃ ἐχρίετο.

Et in iure quidem reddendo, aliquatenus vir esse videbatur; in aliis tamen rebus, & opere & modulatione vocis, muliebrem affectabat mollitiem. Inter alia enim saltabat, non in orchestra solum, verum etiam quodammodo dum incederet, faceret sacrificia, salutaretur, & contionem haberet. Postremo, ut redeam unde digressus sum, nupsit etiam, et uxor et domina et Augusta appellabatur; tractabat lanam, reticulum aliquando gestabat, oculosque sublinebat, cerussaque vultum et anchusa pingebat.    Translated into Latin by Hermann Samuel Reimarus

 

Cassius Dio [Lucius Cassius Dio; 165 – 235 CE, modern Turkey] was a Roman statesman born in Nicaea, Bithynia [modern Turkey] who wrote an 80 volume work on Roman history that spanned from Aeneas’ flight from Troy to the rise of the emperor Severus Alexander. Although much of his history is lost, the fragments that we do have show rare insight into the Roman world.

Challenging Gender Roles: Fulvia , Velleius Paterculus 2.74

Name: Velleius Paterculus Date: 19 BCE – 31 CE Region: [modern Italy]   Citation:  Roman History 2.74

Once the factions of Brutus and Cassius were suppressed, Mark Antony stayed behind to look after the overseas provinces. [Octavian] Caesar returned to Italy and found it worse off than he had hoped. The consul Lucius Antonius, who was aligned with brother’s motives but had none of his virtues, not only brought charges against Caesar in the presence of his own men, but also incited rebellion among those who were displaced when Caesar’s colony was made. In addition to this, Mark Antony’s wife Fulvia, who was in no way lady-like except for looking like one [nihil muliebre praeter corpus gerens ], was stirring up trouble and armed conflict.  She made Praeneste the seat of conflict; when Antony was routed by Caesar’s forces, he made his way to Perusia. Plancus, another one of Antony’s cronies, offered the hope of assistance, but did not actually provide any. Relying on his military prowess and his good fortune, Caesar besieged Perusia. He released Antony unharmed, and the city’s fate was more due to the soldiers’ fury than his own. The city was burned to ashes by its own leader Macedonicus, who, despairing of punishment, set his own property on fire and killed himself with a sword. 

[74] Fractis Brutianis Cassianisque partibus Antonius transmarinas obiturus provincias substitit. Caesar in Italiam se recepit eamque longe quam speraverat tumultuosiorem repperit. Quippe L. Antonius consul, 2 vitiorum fratris sui consors, sed virtutum, quae interdum in illo erant, expers, modo apud veteranos criminatus Caesarem, modo eos, qui iussa divisione praediorum nominatisque coloniis agros amiserant, ad arma conciens magnum exercitum conflaverat. Ex altera parte uxor Antonii Fulvia, nihil muliebre praeter corpus gerens, ornnia armis tumultuque miscebat. 3 Haec belli sedem Praeneste ceperat; Antonius pulsus undique viribus Caesaris Perusiam se contulerat: Plancus, Antonianarum adiutor partium, spem magis ostenderat auxilii, quam opem ferebat Antonio. 4 Usus Caesar virtute et fortuna sua Perusiam expugnavit. Antonium inviolatum dimisit, in Perusinos magis ira militum quam voluntate saevitum ducis: urbs incensa, cuius initium incendii princeps eius loci fecit Macedonicus, qui subiecto rebus ac penatibus suis igni transfixum se gladio flammae intulit.

Velleius Paterculus [Marcus Velleius Paterculus; 19 BCE – 31 CE, modern Italy] was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author. Writing a generation after the publication of Livy’s massive history, Velleius reinvented the genre by creating a succinct abbreviated text that fits all of Roman history, from Aeneas’ flight from Troy to the reign of Augustus, into two volumes.

M/M: Baby, You Can Drive My Car: SHA Vit. Commodi 3.5-6

Name: Scriptores Historia Augusta Date:   Unknown Region:    Unknown Citation:    Life of Commodus  3.5-6

It is important to note that the shock of Commodus sharing the triumphal chariot with his lover Saoterus was not due to their relationship, but because only the triumphal hero should be riding the chariot. Equal shock is given in Marcus Aurelius' biography, when he allows Commodus to stand in the triumphal chariot, while the emperor walks on foot [SHA Vit. Marc. Ant. XVI.2].

Commodus gave up the war that his father [Marcus Aurelius] had nearly completed, agreeing to the enemy’s terms. When he returned to Rome, he entered in triumph together with his lover Saoterus in the same chariot; more than once he leaned over and kissed him in public. He also kissed him in the Senate house.

Bellum etiam, quod pater paene confecerat, legibus hostium addictus remisit ac Romam reversus est. 6 Romam ut redit, subactore suo Saotero post se in curru locato ita triumphavit, ut eum saepius cervice reflexa publice oscularetur. Etiam in orchestra hoc idem fecit.

--SHA, Vita Commodi III.5-6

 Scriptores Historiae Augustae Little is known about the author(s) of the Historia Augusta; even internal evidence within the text is either falsified, skewed or utterly fictitious. Although attributed to six different authors, the text was likely written by a single author living during the 4th century CE. It is a series of imperial biographies modeled after the works of Suetonius; these biographies cover the reigns of the emperors Hadrian through Carus.

M/M: A Flower for Antinous (continued). Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae xv.21

Now that I mention Alexandria, I recall that in that beautiful city there is a certain type of garland called the “Antinous,” made from a type of lotus flower. It grows in the marshlands in the middle of the summer. It comes in two colors, one similar to a rose (this is the kind they use for the Antinous garland), the other color called a lotus garland, and those flowers are bluish. Pancrates, a poet from there (an acquaintance of mine), presented this garland to Emperor Hadrian when he was sightseeing in Alexandria, and claimed it was a marvel.  He told the emperor that this ought to be called the “Antinous garland,” since it sprung from the ground where the blood of the Mauritanian lion that Hadrian [and Antinous] had killed when they were hunting in nearby Libya. The lion was a mighty beast which was menacing Africa so much that made a large portion of the land uninhabitable. Hadrian was delighted by the suggestion and the novelty of the idea, and granted that the poet live in the Museum at public expense.

Quoniam vero mentionem feci Alexandriae, memini etiam in pulchra hac urbe Antinoeam nominari coronam quamdam; quae fit ex loto qui ibi vocatur. Nascitur autem hic in paludibus, media aestate. Floris duplex color: alter rosae similis, e quo nexa corona proprie Antinoea vocatur: altera corona lotina nominatur, caeruleum (sive, ut corrigunt nonnulli, niveum) habens colorem. Et Pancrates quidem, indigena poeta, quem etiam nos cognitum habuimus, Adriano Imperatori, Alexandriae versanti, roseum lotum veluti miraculum quoddam ostentavit; dicens debere illum Antinoeam nominari, editum tunc e terra, cum sanguinem illa accepisset Mauri leonis, quem Adrianus in Libya Alexandriae finitima, cum venaretur, prostraverat; ingentem belvam, quae diu Libyam ita vastaverat, ut magnam eius partem desertam reddidisset hic leo. Delectatus igitur Adrianus commenti inventione ac novitate, concessit poetae ut publico sumptu in Museo aleretur.

ἐπεὶ δὲ Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐμνημόνευσα, οἶδά τινα ἐν τῇ καλῇ ταύτῃ πόλει καλούμενον στέφανον ΑΝΤΙΝΟΕΙΟΝ γινόμενον ἐκ τοῦ αὐτόθι καλουμένου λωτοῦ. φύεται δ᾽ οὗτος ἐν λίμναις θέρους ὥρᾳ, καὶ εἰσὶν αὐτοῦ χροιαὶ δύο, ἣ μὲν τῷ ῥόδῳ ἐοικυῖα: ἐκ τούτου δὲ ὁ πλεκόμενος στέφανος κυρίως Ἀντινόειος καλεῖται: ὁ δὲ ἕτερος λώτινος ὀνομάζεται, κυανέαν ἔχων τὴν χροιάν. καὶ Παγκράτης τις τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ποιητής, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔγνωμεν, Ἀδριανῷ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ἐπιδημήσαντι τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ μετὰ πολλῆς τερατείας ἐπέδειξεν τὸν ῥοδίζοντα λωτόν, φάσκων αὐτὸν δεῖν καλεῖν Ἀντινόειον, ἀναπεμφθέντα ὑπὸ τῆς γῆς ὅτε τὸ αἷμα ἐδέξατο τοῦ Μαυρουσίου λέοντος, ὃν κατὰ τὴν πλησίον τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Λιβύην ἐν κυνηγίῳ καταβεβλήκει ὁ Ἀδριανός, μέγα χρῆμα ὄντα καὶ πολλῷ χρόνῳ κατανεμηθέντα πᾶσαν τὴν Λιβύην, ἧς καὶ πολλὰ ἀοίκητα ἐπεποιήκει οὗτος ὁ λέων. ἡσθεὶς οὖν ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς ἐννοίας εὑρέσει καὶ καινότητι τὴν ἐν Μουσῶν αὐτῷ σίτησιν ἔχειν ἐχαρίσατο. 

--Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae XV.xxi; Translated into Latin by Iohannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

 

 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.

 

 

Challenging Gender Roles: Hypsicrates / Hypsicratea, Val. Max. 4.6.ext.4

Hypsicrates / Hypsicratea, Queen and Warrior

Name: Valerius Maximus Date:  1st century CE Region:  Unknown Citation:  Memorable Deeds and Sayings 4.6.ext.2

Often, authors will use depictions of other nations as a mirror for their own society. Here Hypsicrates / Hypsicratea is praised for challenging gender roles and fighting alongside their husband. Note that they are not condemned for this “masculine” behavior because they are not Roman, and therefore this behavior does not challenge or threaten Roman customs.

Queen Hypsicratea loved their husband Mithridates with such abandon that they gave up the beauty of their feminine form and dressed as a man to please him. They cut off their hair and accustomed themself to the lifestyle of a cavalryman so that they could more easily share his lifestyle and his dangers. When their husband was defeated by Gnaeus Pompey, they followed him in his retreat through hostile nations, matching his unflagging strength and courage with their own. Their immense loyalty was quite a solace and pleasant comfort to Mithridates as he underwent such trying times. With his wife by his side, it was as if he traveled with his home and family gods alongside him, too.

 Hypsicrates / Hypsicratea, Queen and Warrior

Hypsicratea quoque regina Mitridatem coniugem suum effusis caritatis habenis amavit, propter quem praecipuum formae suae decorem in habitum virilem convertere voluptatis loco habuit: tonsis enim capillis equo se et armis adsuefecit, quo facilius laboribus et periculis eius interesset. Quin etiam victum a Cn. Pompeio per efferatas gentes fugientem animo pariter et corpore infatigabili secuta est. Cuius tanta fides asperarum atque difficilium rerum Mitridati maximum solacium et iucundissimum lenimentum fuit: cum domo enim et penatibus vagari se credidit uxore simul exulante.

Valerius Maximus [1st century CE] Little is known about the life of Valerius Maximus except that he wrote during the reign of the emperor Tiberius. His work, Memorable Deeds and Sayings, is a collection of examples from Roman and world history categorized by theme for the purpose of rhetorical exercises.

The Chastity of Valentinian, John Gower, Confessio Amantis 5.6430ff

The Chastity of an Emperor: Valen/tinian

Name: John Gower Date: 1330 – 1408 CE Region:   [modern England] Citation:  Confession of a Lover 5.6395ff

Here the narrator discusses the Emperor Valentinian.[1] Although the eighty-year old emperor conquered numerous provinces for the Roman Empire, he said that of all his accomplishments, the one that he was the proudest of was the conquest of his own lust, for he remained a chaste virgin for all of the days of his life.

 

1] This passage more likely refers to the emperor Valens instead of Valentinian.

The Chastity of an Emperor: Valen/tinian

Hic loquitur qualiter Valentinianus Imperator, cum ipse octogenarius plures provincias Romano Imperio belliger subiugasset, dixit se super omnia magis gaudere de eo, quod contra suae carnis concupiscenciam victoriam obtinuisset; nam et ipse virgo omnibus diebus vitae suae castissimus permansit. 

John Gower [1330 – 1408 CE, modern England] was a 14th century English poet. He was a contemporary and peer of Geoffrey Chaucer; both authors use overlapping characters and themes. Although his Confession of a Lover [Confessio Amantis] was written in English, the Latin text of this story was taken from the summaries that the author wrote for each chapter in Latin.