How Many Genders? Aelius Donatus, Parts of Speech

 

Name: Aelius Donatus Date: 4th century CE   Region:   [Unknown] Citation:   Parts of Speech

How many genders are there? Four. Which? ·         Masculine, like magister [“teacher,”]; ·         Feminine, like musa [‘Muse,’]; ·         Neuter, like scamnum [“bench”]; and ·         Common, like sacerdos [“priest”]. There is another beyond the three genders, which is called All-Inclusive [omne], like how the word ‘felix’ [“blessed, lucky”] can describe masculine, feminine or neuter words. It is unisex, for any gender, like passer [“sparrow”] or aquila [“eagle”].

genera nominum quot sunt? quattuor. quae? masculinum, ut hic magister, femininum, ut haec Musa, neutrum, ut hoc scamnum, commune, ut hic et haec sacerdos. est praeterea trium generum, quod omne dicitur, ut hic et haec et hoc felix; est epicoenon, id est promiscuum, ut passer aquila.

 

The Showdown between the Intersex Scholar Favorinus and The Roman Emperor Hadrian, SHA Vit. Hadr. 14.10-13

Favorinus Avoids Emperor Hadrian’s Wrath with a Pun

Name: Scriptores Historia Augusta Date:   Unknown Region:    Unknown Citation:    Life of Hadrian 15.10-13

Hadrian was talented in public speaking and poetry, as well as all of the liberal arts, but he used to mock, criticize, and bully professors of every kind, as if he knew more than them. He often used to challenge these professors and philosophers by publishing little books or poems and they, in  turn, would publish a response. This even happened to Favorinus [one of his dearest friends [1].

When Hadrian criticized him for using a certain word, Favorinus bowed out of the argument. When his friends challenged this, since the term that Hadrian had criticized was used by Classical authors, Favorinus let them in on a little joke. He said, “Buddies, that's terrible advice: just let the guy who has thirty legions believe that he is the smartest man of all.”

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[1] Later in the same text [16.10], Favorinus is listed as one of the emperor's dearest friends: in summa familiaritate Epictetum et Heliodorum philosophos et, ne nominatim de omnibus dicam, grammaticos, rhetores, musicos, geometras, pictores, astrologos habuit, prae ceteris, ut multi adserunt, eminente Favorino.

Favorinus Avoids Emperor Hadrian’s Wrath with a Pun

Et quamvis esset oratione et versu promptissimus et in omnibus artibus peritissimus, tamen professores omnium artium semper ut doctior risit, contempsit, obtrivit. Cum his ipsis professoribus et philosophis libris vel carminibus invicem editis saepe certavit. Et Favorinus quidem, cum verbum eius quondam ab Hadriano reprehensum esset atque ille cessisset, arguentibus amicis, quod male cederet, Hadriano de verbo, quod idonei auctores usurpassent, risum iucundissimum movit; ait enim : “Non recte suadetis, familiares, qui non patimini me illum doctiorem omnibus credere, qui habet triginta legiones.” 

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.

Boys and Girls: Grammatical Gender in Early Roman Literature

 Latin classrooms tend to teach puella / puer as binary opposites [girl / boy], but the etymology of these terms is very complex. Puer originally meant "child of any gender," and there are numerous fragments of early Roman literature that show it was used as a feminine noun: 

·          Saucia puer filia sumam  I am a wounded girl, a daughter…  [from the Carmen Nelei]  

·         sancta puer Saturni filia  sacred child, daughter of Saturn [Livius Andronicus fr. 12]

Moreover, the word puella is the diminutive form of puer, and also has masculine forms:

·         Cumque hic tam formosus homo ac te dignus puellus. This guy is a handsome man, a youth worthy of you. [Nonius 158.14; Lucilius fr. 162-163]

·         Inde venit Romam tener ipse etiam atque puellus. He came to Rome when he was still a young kid [Lucilius fr. 450-2]

·         Poeni suos soliti dis sacrificare puellos  The Carthaginians are accustomed to sacrifice their children to the gods [Ennius, fr. VII.4]

These examples show that grammatical gender was not initially rigidly fixed to either of these words, but the meanings of the words changed over time.

ENNIUS	MAP:
Name:  Quintus Ennius Date:  239 – 169 BCE Works:  Annals	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Although widely considered the father of Roman literature, little is known about the works of Ennius and even less is known about his life. It is said that he was born in Rudiae (modern Italy) and served in the Second Punic War. Although he was a prolific author, composing the Annals, (Rome’s first historical epic) and other epic poems, only fragments of these remain extant.	EARLY ROMAN LITERATURE

LIVIUS ANDRONICUS	MAP:
Name:  Livius Andronicus Date:  3rd c. BCE Works:  [fragments]	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Livius Andronicus is one of Rome’s earliest poets. He is known for translating the works of Homer into Latin, and for his numerous plays. Unfortunately, only fragments of his works remain.	EARLY ROMAN LITERATURE

LUCILIUS	MAP:
Name:  Gaius Lucilius Date:  2nd century BCE Works:  Satires	REGION  1
BIO:	Timeline:
Lucilius was an Italian poet and one of Rome’s earliest satirists. Although his works and his style deeply influenced the genre of Roman satire, most of his writings are lost to history and only fragments remain.	REPUBLICAN ROME