Herodes Atticus: World Citizen, AD 101-177
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This dissertation has been microfilmed exectlv fl<; rp>rpivgcl Mic 60-4127 RUTLEDGE, Harry C arraci. HERODES ATTICUS: WORLD CITIZEN, A.D. 101-177. The Ohio State University, Ph. D., 1960 Language and Literature, classical University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan * • > . HERODES ATTICUS: WORLD CITIZEN A. D. 101 - 177 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By HARRY CARRACI RUTLEDGE, B .S c. in Edu., M.A. The Ohio State University I960 Approved by .ser Department of Classical Languages PREFACE Herodes Atticus has frequently been designated as the orator noblllsslmus of the Second Sophistic, the well- known rhetorical movement of the second century A.D. Although his prominence in the Second Sophistic is undoubted, Herodes is scarcely one of the major figures of antiquity; the Second Sophistic itself, because of its lack of recognized literary masterpieces, engages the interest of few but specialists. No literary works at all are extant from the hand of Herodes Atticus; but he has never suffered the artistic eclipse that time has imposed on men like Cornelius Gallus, for example, since Flavius Philostratus, fascinated by the extraordinary variety in Herodes' life, saw fit to give him the paramount position in his Vitae Sophlstarum. Furthermore, Herodes1 name, i f not h is 1 if e - s to r y , has ever been w ell known to archaeologists and historians of ancient art because of the survival of so many traces of his architectural philan thropies. Herodes was the most prominent millionaire of the second century; his lavish gift to Athens of the Odeum at the foot of the Acropolis has been a familiar landmark for c e n tu r ie s . His rhetoric, in which he was a famous cultivator of the Attic style, and his buildings, which were the last splendid ones erected in Roman Greece, have stimulated i i several scholars to a consideration of Herodes Atticus. Chief among these studies, and of our own century, are K. Munscher1 s3* very full article on Herodes in the Real- Encyclopadle of Pauly-Wissowa (1912); Paul Graindor's excellent Un milllardalre antique: Herode Atticus et sa famllle (1930); Karl Neugebauer's beautifully illustrated "Herodes Atticus, ein antiker Kunstmazen," in Die Antike (193*0; and Artur Stein's article in the second edition of the Prosopographia Imperil Romani (1936). Obviously, prac tically all the evidence pertaining to Herodes has been previously collected and published. What the history of Herodes Atticus has needed, how ever, besides a full treatment in the English language, is an interpretative study which would attempt to reveal both the personality of the man and his position in second- century civilization. In the studies cited above, Herodes moves as an Immaterial being, who is known to have cultivated classical Greek literature, spoken magnificently, served as consul at Rome, and caused the erection of some handsome buildings. He has been seen impersonally as an active man of great talent and wealth; but the fact of his intimate personal connections with the rulers and fellow-citizens of his era has received little emphasis. It is the purpose of ^■See Bibliography for details of publication on the following works. i l l this study to present Herodes, the orator noblllsslmus, as a man intricately involved with the life and culture of the Antonine era, as the chief representative and exponent of the unexampled unity of the Antonine world. Furthermore, recent archaeological reports, especi ally from Olympia and Corinth, 4hd new studies in chronology and epigraphy have made necessary several corrections in the older works on Herodes. It is hoped that this biography will both freshen and enrich our total concept of the famous millionaire. I have neither the secret wish nor covert intention to magnify unduly the position of Herodes Atticus in antiquity. As far as his palpable effect on his contemporaries or posterity is concerned, Herodes is distinctly a minor figure. He can contribute much, however, to our total understanding of the ancient world in his dual r8le of transmitter of the classical tradition and symbol of the world’s unity under the Antonines. My indebtedness to the many studies of Paul Graindor on Herodes and the second century in general (see Bibli ography) is tremendous. The basic chronology of this paper is that established by Graindor. My principal deviation from Graindor’s biography is to present Herodes’ life and activities in almost strictly chronological fashion, rather than by Graindor's method of dealing In spearate sections with Herodes' family, rhetorical art, and monuments. I think the latter plan, although it has the virtue of lucid organization, tends to result in the fragmentation of the iv man. In a chronological treatment, the reader, I believe, can see the simultaneous development of the subject's mental powers, artistic taste, relationships with family and friends, and public prestige. The result of the chron ological approach should be a portrait of a complex individ ual, with all his activities and interests integrated, seen in his total significance. The primary literary sources for Herodes Atticus are the fairly long biography by Philostratus in his Vitae Sophistarum, various anecdotes in the Noctes Atticae of Aulus Gellius, and the correspondence of Cornelius Fronto. All three sources are biased: Philostratus was fascinated by his subject and offers an uncritical, journalistic account of the millionaire; Gellius was a welcome guest at Herodes1 Attic villas and reports only the most flattering anecdotes; Fronto, on the other hand, was Herodes1 chief rival for the august friendship of Marcus Aurelius. Of the three sources, Fronto was most able to view Herodes criti cally and candidly; but even Fronto could not be completely objective, since for several years both he and Herodes were eager for the distinction of foremost friend and mentor of Prince Marcus. I have used these sources abundantly, but as objectively as possible. The reader must bear in mind that we regrettably lack an account of Herodes that is both contemporary and dispassionate. Throughout this study the quotations from the ancient authors are rendered in my own translations. This scheme was especially designed to increase the accessibility of Philostratus, so often obscure, and the excessively elegant Fronto. The text of Philostratus, whose most readable edi tion is Wright's in the Loeb Classical Library, is referred to by paragraph number plus a page and line reference from Kayser's Teubner text. Two appendices conclude the study. Appendix I dis- th e TTO AtT£t*.S , a work often attributed to Herodes Atticus. Appendix II gives an epigraphical index on Herodes, his wife, and his surviving son. The index is followed by a list of the inscriptions not discussed in Stein's articles on these three persons in the second edi tion of the Prosopographia Imperii Romani, and the new inscriptions found since the publication of Stein's work. I should like to express my gratitude to the faculty of the Department of Classical Languages at Ohio State University for their unanimous and constant encouragement during the past three years; to Professor Clarence A. Forbes for the exciting stimulus of his counsel and scholar ship; but above all to my parents, who provided the ideal environment which made my graduate study so richly tranquil. vi TABLE OP CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE................................................... i i LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................. x Chapter I . INTRODUCTION AND FAMILY BACKGROUND ........................... 1 I I . THE.EARLY YEARS: 101 - 1 3 9 ............................................... 15 1. Childhood .................................................................... 15 2. Elementary Education .................................................. 18 3. The Second Sophistic .......................................... 19 4. Herodes1 Teachers and Training in the Second Sophistic ......................................................... 22 5. The Accession of Hadrian ................................ 29 6. Family Philanthropy .................................................. 30 7 . The Beginning of a P ublicCa r e e r ............... 33 8. Economic Sidelights on the Reign of H a d r i a n ..................................................................... 34 9• Archon ••••••■••••••••••• 38 10. Entry in to the Roman Cursus Honorum . 37 11. Amicus P rin c ip is ............................................................. 39 12. Praetor at Rom e ....................................................... 42 13. Asian Days ................................................................... 43 14. Problems in Chronology ..................................... 50 15. The Inheritance Question ................................ 52 16. Character of the Fortune ................................ 57 17. International Scandal ............................................. 60 18. Panathenaea .............................................................. 64 19. Problem of the Panhellenion ..................... 66 I I I . THE MIDDLE YEARS: 139 - l 6 l ......................................... 69 1. I n t r o d u c t i o n ............................................................... 69 2. Herodes' Marriage ....................................................... 72 3. The Family of Herodes and Regilla .... 74 4 . The Family R