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Home , Appian, Apuleius, Aulus Gellius, Epodes (Horace), Iunius (month), Marcus Gavius Apicius

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Ancient authors 297

is unknown. His Attic Nights is a speeches for the law courts, collection of essays on a variety political speeches, philosophical ANCIENT AUTHORS of topics, based on his reading of essays, and personal letters to Apicius: (fourth century ad) is the Greek and Roman writers and the friends and family. name traditionally given to the lectures and conversations he had : author of a collection of recipes, heard. The title Attic Nights refers Moderatus Columella (wrote c.ad de Re Coquinaria (On the Art of to Attica, the district in 60–65) was born at Gades (modern Cooking). Gavius Apicius around , where Gellius was Cadiz) in Spain and served in the was a gourmet who lived in the living when he wrote the book. in . He wrote a early first centuryad and wrote (also Dio Cassius): treatise on farming, de Re Rustica about sauces. Seneca says that he Cassius Dio Cocceianus (c.ad (On Farming). claimed to have created a scientia 150–235) was born in Bithynia. He popīnae (snack bar cuisine). : Diodorus had a political career as a consul (wrote c.60–30 bc) was a Greek : Appianos (late first in and governor of the from Sicily who wrote a history of century ad–ad ) was born in provinces of and . the world centered on Rome, from , in Egypt, and practiced His , written in legendary beginnings to 54 bc. as a in Rome. His history of Greek, covers the period from Much of the original forty books Rome is written in Greek. ’ arrival in to ad 229. survives only in fragments. He : Lucius Apuleius (c.ad Cato: Marcus Porcius Cato (234– wrote in Greek. 155) was born in Africa and lived 139 bc) was born at , a Dionysius of : in . He was the author town about 16 miles from Rome. Dionysius (c.60 bc–some time of the , also known He had a distinguished military after 7 bc) was a Greek historian as , a about and political career, reaching from Halicarnassus in Minor the adventures of a young man the consulship and the office of (modern Bodrum in Turkey). He who is turned into an ass. He censor, despite not being born lived in Rome for many years gave lectures on philosophy and a into a senatorial family. He wrote from about 30 bc. His history of collection of excerpts from these a book on farming, Rome, Roman Antiquities, is written survives, called Florida (Anthology). (On Agriculture). Cato was famous in Greek. It started with Rome’s for his strictness and his criticism bc ad legendary beginnings and went : Augustus (63 – of contemporary morality. He up to 264 bc, the First Punic War. 14) was born Octavius, wanted to return to the old Roman Much of it is lost, and the surviving and became Gaius Iulius values of frugality and simplicity. Octavianus when he was adopted part finishes in 441bc . by his great-uncle, . : Gaius Valerius Catullus : Iulius Frontinus He was known by the title (c.84–54 bc) was born in , in (c.ad 30–104) had a distinguished Augustus after when he northern Italy, in a wealthy family. career as consul and governor of became Rome’s first . Very little is known about his life. Britain. After becoming supervisor The Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Deeds of He came to Rome as a young of the water supply (cūrātor the Divine Augustus) is an account man and spent some time in the aquārum) in Rome in ad 97, he of the career of Augustus written province of Bithynia on the staff of wrote an account of the city’s in the first person. Augustus left the governor. He is best known for aqueducts and water supply, On the document with his will, with his love poems. the Waters of Rome, as a handbook instructions to the Senate to set : Marcus Tullius Cicero for his successors. up the text as an inscription. It (106–43 bc) was a politician and was engraved on a pair of bronze : Horatius lawyer, who was a leading figure pillars in front of Augustus’ tomb (65–8 bc) was born in Apulia, in the in events at the end of the Roman in the Campus . The south of Italy. He was of humble Republic. He was born in a town original has not survived, but origins, the son of a not far from Rome and came copies were carved in stone on who worked as a collector of to Rome to study. Although not monuments and temples all over payments at auctions. His father born into the senatorial class, he the , and parts of sent him to Rome and Athens to reached the highest office of state, these have survived. be educated, and he became one the consulship. He was executed of the most celebrated poets of Gellius: on the orders of his day. Maecenas, the friend and (c.ad 130–180) lived in Rome and during the unrest following the adviser of Emperor Augustus, was Athens, although his birthplace assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 his patron. His most famous works bc. His surviving writings include T

298 Ancient authors

are the , short poems on a Minucius: Marcus Minucius Felix vulgar extravagance and bad taste variety of subjects, but he also (early third century ad) was a of Trimalchio, and his ostentatious wrote , , and . Christian who wrote a defense display of wealth. of Christianity, Octavius, in the Julius Caesar: Gaius Iulius : Maccius Plautus form of a discussion between two Caesar (100–44 bc), the general, (c.250–184 bc) wrote comedies Christian converts, Minucius and politician, and dictator, belonged which were based on Greek Octavius, and Caecilius, a pagan. to an aristocratic Roman family. originals, adapted for a Roman Minucius defends Christianity He was assassinated on the audience, but set in Greece. against the criticisms of Caecilius, Ides (15th) of 44 bc, by a and at the end Caecilius is : Gaius Plinius group of senators who feared converted. Secundus (ad 23/24–79) was born that he intended to put an end at Comum (modern ) in to the republican system of : Ovidius Naso (43 bc– northern Italy. He is known as government and keep supreme ad 17) was born in a town near Pliny the Elder to distinguish him power for himself and his family. Rome and educated in the city. from his nephew, known as Pliny Caesar wrote an account of his He abandoned a public career to the Younger. He had a career in campaigns in Gaul and Britain become a poet. Emperor Augustus military and government service, (58–52 bc), the Commentaries (also banished him to Tomi on the serving as procurator in several known as the ). They Black Sea (in modern Romania). provinces before his final post are written in the third person, as According to Ovid, there were as commander of the fleet at if to give an objective account of two reasons for his exile, Misenum in Italy. He dedicated events. (a poem) and error (a mistake). his spare time to research and The poem was Ars Amatoria : Decius Iunius Iuvenalis writing, and among his many (The Art of Love), advice on how (early second century ad) was learned works is his Natural to conduct a love affair, which born in a town in Italy, but lived History, an encyclopedic collection fell foul of laws introduced by in Rome. He was the author of facts and stories about a huge Augustus to improve the morals of sixteen Satires, long poems variety of subjects. It is a very of contemporary society. The criticizing and attacking the useful source of information on mistake was probably connected vices of his fellow Romans. many aspects of Roman life. In to the love affairs of Augustus’ The Satires have a bitter humor Suburani ‘Pliny’ refers to Pliny the granddaughter, Julia. Among his and pessimistic attitude, and Younger. works are love poems such as there is much exaggeration. the (Loves) and a long epic : Gaius Nevertheless, Juvenal sheds light poem, The Metamorphoses, which Caecilius Plinius Secundus (ad on contemporary Roman society is a collection of stories from 61/62–113) was the nephew of and provides lots of detail about mythology, bound together by the Pliny the Elder. He was born everyday life. theme of transformation. at Comum (Como) in northern : Titus Livius (59 bc–ad 17) was Italy. He had a successful career : Petronius Arbiter (died born at Patavium (modern Padua) as a lawyer, politician, and ad 65) was a provincial governor in north-east Italy. Little is known administrator, and his final post and consul. He then became about his life, but he probably was as governor of the province Emperor ’s arbiter ēlegentiae came to Rome as an adult. He of Bithynia. His letters to friends, (arbiter of taste), a play on his wrote A History of Rome, starting family, and colleagues include an name; this meant he advised Nero with its foundation and going exchange with Emperor on what was tasteful or elegant. up to his own lifetime. Originally when he was governor of Bithynia. He was falsely accused of being there were 142 books, of which The letters offer a fascinating involved in a plot to kill Nero, and about twenty-five have survived. glimpse into the lives, attitudes, committed suicide. Petronius was and politics of the society of : Marcus Valerius Martialis the author of the , a novel his time. Pliny wrote with the (c.ad 40–c.ad 96) was born in Spain, about the adventures of three intention of publishing his letters, and came to live in Rome in about young men traveling in southern and at regular intervals during his ad 64. He is best known for his Italy. The main episode is the cēna lifetime he published collections short poems, known as Epigrams, Trimalchiōnis (Trimalchio’s Dinner of them. Although they are real which often criticize and mock Party). Trimalchio is a wealthy personal letters, many of them the faults and vices of his fellow freedman to whose dinner party resemble short essays on various Romans. the three main characters are themes. In Suburani ‘Pliny’ refers to invited. Petronius mocks and Pliny the Younger. grotesquely exaggerates the T

Ancient authors 299

Plutarch: Ploutarchos (c.ad : Strabo (64 bc–after ad 24) Rustica (On Farming) survives 46–120) was a Greek biographer, was a Greek from Pontus who in complete form. About half historian, and philosopher. He came to Rome in 44 bc to finish of de Lingua Latina (On the took the name Lucius Mercius his education, then visited the Language) also survives. Plutarchus when he became a city several times afterwards. His Vergil (also ): Publius Roman citizen. visited , written in Greek, is a Vergilius Maro (70–19 bc) was Rome, where he taught and gave description of the main countries born at Mantua in Cisalpine lectures, but spent most of his in the Roman world, including Gaul and educated at Cremona, life in his native Greece. Among physical geography, history, and (modern Milan), and his many works are biographies economic development. There is Rome. Maecenas, the friend and of famous Greek and Roman also much incidental detail about adviser of Emperor Augustus, was politicians and soldiers, the Parallel customs, animals, and plants. his patron, and he became the Lives, so called because they are : Gaius Suetonius most celebrated poet of his day. arranged in pairs of Greek and Tranquillus (born c.70 ad) was a His greatest work is the , an Roman so that the subjects can secretary at the imperial palace. epic poem which tells the story be compared. He also wrote He wrote biographies of Julius of the founding of the Roman biographies of the Roman Caesar and the first eleven race by the Trojan hero Aeneas. . His biographies of emperors, Lives of the Caesars. The poem is a celebration of the Galba and Otho survive in full, and Although his position gave him origin and growth of the Roman there are fragments of his lives of access to the state archives, he Empire and of the achievements and Nero. is not very reliable in his use of Augustus. Vergil also wrote the : Sextus Propertius of sources, and his work relies , poems about (c.50 bc–after 16 bc) was born at heavily on uncritical reporting of the life of shepherds, and the Assisium (modern ) in central gossip and anecdote. His other , a poem about farming. Italy, and educated at Rome. He works include lives of teachers : Vitruvius Pollio (first wrote poems known as , of literature and , On the century bc), an engineer and many of them love poems. Grammarians and On Rhetoricians; architect, wrote On Architecture. only parts of these have survived. Seneca: Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c.4 bc–ad 65) is sometimes : Publius (or Gaius) known as to Cornelius Tacitus (ad 56/57–after distinguish him from his father of 117) have been born in Gallia the same name, who was also a Narbonensis. He had a successful writer. He was born in Cordoba, political career in Rome and wrote in Spain, and came to Rome two major works of history. to be educated. He was Nero’s covered the period ad 14–68, tutor and, when Nero became from the death of Augustus to emperor, Seneca became his the death Nero, and political adviser. In ad 65, after he continued with the years ad 69–96. had retired from public life, he Only parts of these works survive. was implicated in a conspiracy to He also wrote a biography of his overthrow Nero and was forced father-in-law Agricola, the general to commit suicide. Seneca was and governor of Britain. Tacitus a philosopher, politician, and used as his sources the writings of dramatist. Among his many earlier historians, official records, writings are several works of and his own experience. Tacitus moral philosophy which contain was a supporter of the republican interesting details about life in system of government and a Rome in the first centuryad . Some harsh critic of the emperors and of these are in the form of letters the imperial system. He claims to to friends and family, including write without prejudice, but his one to his mother, Helvia. bias is often evident. : Marius Servius Varro: Marcus Honoratus (early fifth century (115–27 bc) was born near Rome ad) wrote commentaries on Latin in Sabine territory. Among his literature. many literary works, only de Re