DOCSLIB.ORG

The Annals: the Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero (Oxford World's

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Annals: the Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero (Oxford World's oxford world’s classics THE ANNALS Gaius (or Publius: the evidence is ambiguous) Cornelius Tacitus is widely regarded as the greatest of all Roman historians. We know relatively little about his life. He was born around ad 56, and is known to have engaged in the standard political career of a young Roman aristocrat, holding the offices of quaestor (in 81 or 82), prae- tor (in 88), and consul (in 97), along with a variety of other admin- istrative and military posts, including (by 88) membership of the college of priests known as the quindecimviri sacris faciundis. He was governor of Asia (a province of the empire consisting of part of modern Turkey) 112–13. In a high-profile trial in 99–100 he and his friend Pliny the Younger successfully prosecuted Marius Priscus for corruption while governor of Africa. Tacitus probably lived beyond 117; but his precise date of death is unknown. He was betrothed in 77 to the daughter of Julius Agricola, later governor of Britain, and married her shortly afterwards: her name, however, is unknown. Tacitus’ writings include the Agricola and the Germania, both published in 98. The date of a third work, the Dialogue on Orators, is disputed; some have thought it his first work, but it may well post- date both the Agricola and the Germania. All three of these survive complete. His major works were the Histories (published around 109) and the Annals (published some time after 117); only about a third of the former and just over half of the latter survive. J. C. Yardley has translated Livy’s The Dawn of the Roman Empire (Books 31–40) and Hannibal’s War (Books 21–30) for Oxford World’s Classics, Justin for the American Philological Association’s Classical Resources series, and Curtius Rufus for Penguin Classics. He is also the author of Justin and Pompeius Trogus (2003) and (with Waldemar Heckel) Alexander the Great (2004). Anthony A. Barrett was formerly Professor and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of British Columbia. He is cur- rently studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. His most recent books are Livia: First Lady of Imperial Rome (2002) and (as editor and contributor) Lives of the Caesars (2007). oxford world’s classics For over 100 years Oxford World’s Classics have brought readers closer to the world’s great literature. Now with over 700 titles—from the 4,000-year-old myths of Mesopotamia to the twentieth century’s greatest novels—the series makes available lesser-known as well as celebrated writing. The pocket-sized hardbacks of the early years contained introductions by Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, Graham Greene, and other literary figures which enriched the experience of reading. Today the series is recognized for its fine scholarship and reliability in texts that span world literature, drama and poetry, religion, philosophy and politics. Each edition includes perceptive commentary and essential background information to meet the changing needs of readers. OXFORD WORLD’S CLASSICS TACITUS The Annals The Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero Translated by J. C. YARDLEY With an Introduction and Notes by ANTHONY A. BARRETT 1 3 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York Translation © J. C. Yardley 2008 Introduction, glossaries, select bibliography, explanatory notes © Anthony A. Barrett 2008 The moral rights of the authors have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published as an Oxford World’s Classics paperback 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Data available Typeset by Cepha Imaging Private Ltd., Bangalore, India Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by Clays Ltd., St Ives plc. ISBN 978-0-19-282421-9 13579108642 CONTENTS Abbreviations vii Introduction ix Note on the Text and Translation xxx Select Bibliography xxxii Chronology of Significant Events xxxiv Map of the Roman Empire in the Julio-Claudian Period xxxvi THE ANNALS 1 book one 3 book two 50 book three 95 book four 136 book five (fragment) 179 book six 182 book eleven 215 book twelve 236 book thirteen 270 book fourteen 303 book fifteen 338 book sixteen 377 Appendix 1: List of Variations from the Teubner Text 394 Appendix 2: The Julio-Claudian Family Tree 395 Explanatory Notes 397 Glossary of Roman Terms 503 Glossary of Peoples and Places 510 Index 527 This page intentionally left blank ABBREVIATIONS CIL Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum Josephus, AJ Josephus, Jewish Antiquities Livy, Per. Livy, Periochae Ovid, Ex P. Ovid, Epistulae ex Ponto Philo, Leg. Philo, Legatio ad Gaium Pliny, NH Pliny the Elder, Natural History Pliny, Ep. Pliny the Younger, Epistulae Plutarch, Caes. Plutarch, Caesar RG Res Gestae Seneca, Contr. Seneca the Elder, Controversiae Seneca, Apoc. Seneca the Younger, Apocolocyntosis Ep. Epistulae QN Quaestiones naturales Suetonius, Aug. Suetonius, Augustus Cal. Caligula Claud. Claudius Jul. The Deified Julius Tib. Tiberius Vesp. Vespasian Vit. Vitellius Tacitus, Agr. Tacitus, Agricola Ann. Annals Germ. Germania Hist. Histories Val. Max. Valerius Maximus This page intentionally left blank INTRODUCTION Tacitus’ Life The life of ancient Rome’s greatest historian, Publius Cornelius Tacitus, is known in broad outline, but many of the important details are either missing or contentious. Even his name is uncertain. The only surviving manuscript of the opening books of the Annals, the Medicean, dating to the ninth century ad and carrying considerable authority, calls him Publius, and that name has become more or less established by tradition. But Sidonius Apollonaris, a bishop and poet of considerable standing in the fifth century, creates an element of doubt, giving him the praenomen Gaius. A letter about Tacitus writ- ten by his good friend Pliny the Younger (Ep. 9.23) suggests very strongly that the two men came from the same general area. Pliny was a native of Como, in northern Italy. Tacitus may likewise have originated from the Gallic area of northern Italy or perhaps from the highly Romanized province of Gallia Narbonensis in what is now southern France. His forebears would at some point have received citizenship under the patronage of a now unknown Roman official with the distinguished nomen of ‘Cornelius’ who would have con- tinued to be honoured in the names of the descendants of the newly enfranchised Italians (just as many ‘Gallic’ Italians bore Julius Caesar’s nomen Julius). The final element of his name, the cognomen ‘Tacitus’, is not a common one, and it is very possible that the historian is the son of the Cornelius Tacitus, equestrian procurator (financial officer) of Gallia Belgica, mentioned by his friend’s uncle, Pliny the Elder, in his encyclopaedic work, the Historia Naturalis (NH 7.76). If this identification is correct, it would make Tacitus a member of the equestrian class, in the rank below that of senator, and his entry into the Roman Senate would have marked him as a novus homo, a ‘new man’, who obtained access to that body despite having no senators in his family line. A number of rules prescribed the age at which ambitious Romans could enter the various magistracies open to them. Since we know the dates when Tacitus assumed some of his offices (see below), we can be reasonably confident that he was born not long after ad 55 and x introduction would thus have come into the world just after Nero succeeded Claudius as emperor. Nero committed suicide in 68. Tacitus as a young boy could well have witnessed first-hand the crisis that then afflicted Italy and southern Gaul as a succession of military leaders vied to replace the last, discredited, member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The ultimate victory of Vespasian, emperor 69–79, brought a period of relative calm. It is during his reign that we have the first datable event of Tacitus’ life. In 77 he married the daughter of Gnaeus Julius Agricola, soon to be appointed governor of Britain. We also know that he was able to go to Rome to begin a public career. We have some details of that career from his own writing. In a strik- ing line of the Histories, he credits three emperors with his progress. He claims that his public life was ‘begun by Vespasian, enhanced by Titus, and still further advanced by Domitian’ (Hist. 1.1.3). Scholars supplement this statement with information derived from a marble funerary inscription that has long been known but only recently identified by the distinguished historian Géza Alföldy as almost certainly belonging to the tomb of Tacitus.1 The inscription reveals that the deceased was a member of a board of ten, with responsibil- ity for judging lawsuits.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Women in Criminal Trials in the Julio-Claudian Era
    Women in Criminal Trials in the Julio-Claudian Era by Tracy Lynn Deline B.A., University of Saskatchewan, 1994 M.A., University of Saskatchewan, 2001 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Classics) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) September 2009 © Tracy Lynn Deline, 2009 Abstract This study focuses on the intersection of three general areas: elite Roman women, criminal law, and Julio-Claudian politics. Chapter one provides background material on the literary and legal source material used in this study and considers the cases of Augustus’ daughter and granddaughter as a backdrop to the legal and political thinking that follows. The remainder of the dissertation is divided according to women’s roles in criminal trials. Chapter two, encompassing the largest body of evidence, addresses the role of women as defendants, and this chapter is split into three thematic parts that concentrate on charges of adultery, treason, and other crimes. A recurring question is whether the defendants were indicted for reasons specific to them or the indictments were meant to injure their male family members politically. Analysis of these cases reveals that most of the accused women suffered harm without the damage being shared by their male family members. Chapter three considers that a handful of powerful women also filled the role of prosecutor, a role technically denied to them under the law. Resourceful and powerful imperial women like Messalina and Agrippina found ways to use criminal accusations to remove political enemies. Chapter four investigates women in the role of witnesses in criminal trials.
    [Show full text]
  • Steppe Nomads in the Eurasian Trade1
    Volumen 51, N° 1, 2019. Páginas 85-93 Chungara Revista de Antropología Chilena STEPPE NOMADS IN THE EURASIAN TRADE1 NÓMADAS DE LA ESTEPA EN EL COMERCIO EURASIÁTICO Anatoly M. Khazanov2 The nomads of the Eurasian steppes, semi-deserts, and deserts played an important and multifarious role in regional, interregional transit, and long-distance trade across Eurasia. In ancient and medieval times their role far exceeded their number and economic potential. The specialized and non-autarchic character of their economy, provoked that the nomads always experienced a need for external agricultural and handicraft products. Besides, successful nomadic states and polities created demand for the international trade in high value foreign goods, and even provided supplies, especially silk, for this trade. Because of undeveloped social division of labor, however, there were no professional traders in any nomadic society. Thus, specialized foreign traders enjoyed a high prestige amongst them. It is, finally, argued that the real importance of the overland Silk Road, that currently has become a quite popular historical adventure, has been greatly exaggerated. Key words: Steppe nomads, Eurasian trade, the Silk Road, caravans. Los nómadas de las estepas, semidesiertos y desiertos euroasiáticos desempeñaron un papel importante y múltiple en el tránsito regional e interregional y en el comercio de larga distancia en Eurasia. En tiempos antiguos y medievales, su papel superó con creces su número de habitantes y su potencial económico. El carácter especializado y no autárquico de su economía provocó que los nómadas siempre experimentaran la necesidad de contar con productos externos agrícolas y artesanales. Además, exitosos Estados y comunidades nómadas crearon una demanda por el comercio internacional de bienes exóticos de alto valor, e incluso proporcionaron suministros, especialmente seda, para este comercio.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Gallo-Roman Relations Under the Early Empire by Ryan Walsh A
    Gallo-Roman Relations under the Early Empire By Ryan Walsh A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2013 © Ryan Walsh 2013 1 Author's Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract This paper examines the changing attitudes of Gallo-Romans from the time of Caesar's conquest in the 50s BCE to the start of Vespasian's reign in 70-71 CE and how Roman prejudice shaped those attitudes. I first examine the conflicted opinions of the Gauls in Caesar's time and how they eventually banded together against him but were defeated. Next, the activities of each Julio-Claudian emperor are examined to see how they impacted Gaul and what the Gallo-Roman response was. Throughout this period there is clear evidence of increased Romanisation amongst the Gauls and the prominence of the region is obvious in imperial policy. This changes with Nero's reign where Vindex's rebellion against the emperor highlights the prejudices still effecting Roman attitudes. This only becomes worse in the rebellion of Civilis the next year. After these revolts, the Gallo-Romans appear to retreat from imperial offices and stick to local affairs, likely as a direct response to Rome's rejection of them.
    [Show full text]
  • Hadrian and the Greek East
    HADRIAN AND THE GREEK EAST: IMPERIAL POLICY AND COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Demetrios Kritsotakis, B.A, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2008 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Fritz Graf, Adviser Professor Tom Hawkins ____________________________ Professor Anthony Kaldellis Adviser Greek and Latin Graduate Program Copyright by Demetrios Kritsotakis 2008 ABSTRACT The Roman Emperor Hadrian pursued a policy of unification of the vast Empire. After his accession, he abandoned the expansionist policy of his predecessor Trajan and focused on securing the frontiers of the empire and on maintaining its stability. Of the utmost importance was the further integration and participation in his program of the peoples of the Greek East, especially of the Greek mainland and Asia Minor. Hadrian now invited them to become active members of the empire. By his lengthy travels and benefactions to the people of the region and by the creation of the Panhellenion, Hadrian attempted to create a second center of the Empire. Rome, in the West, was the first center; now a second one, in the East, would draw together the Greek people on both sides of the Aegean Sea. Thus he could accelerate the unification of the empire by focusing on its two most important elements, Romans and Greeks. Hadrian channeled his intentions in a number of ways, including the use of specific iconographical types on the coinage of his reign and religious language and themes in his interactions with the Greeks. In both cases it becomes evident that the Greeks not only understood his messages, but they also reacted in a positive way.
    [Show full text]
  • Domitian's Arae Incendii Neroniani in New Flavian Rome
    Rising from the Ashes: Domitian’s Arae Incendii Neroniani in New Flavian Rome Lea K. Cline In the August 1888 edition of the Notizie degli Scavi, profes- on a base of two steps; it is a long, solid rectangle, 6.25 m sors Guliermo Gatti and Rodolfo Lanciani announced the deep, 3.25 m wide, and 1.26 m high (lacking its crown). rediscovery of a Domitianic altar on the Quirinal hill during These dimensions make it the second largest public altar to the construction of the Casa Reale (Figures 1 and 2).1 This survive in the ancient capital. Built of travertine and revet- altar, found in situ on the southeast side of the Alta Semita ted in marble, this altar lacks sculptural decoration. Only its (an important northern thoroughfare) adjacent to the church inscription identifies it as an Ara Incendii Neroniani, an altar of San Andrea al Quirinale, was not unknown to scholars.2 erected in fulfillment of a vow made after the great fire of The site was discovered, but not excavated, in 1644 when Nero (A.D. 64).7 Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini) and Gianlorenzo Bernini Archaeological evidence attests to two other altars, laid the foundations of San Andrea al Quirinale; at that time, bearing identical inscriptions, excavated in the sixteenth the inscription was removed to the Vatican, and then the and seventeenth centuries; the Ara Incendii Neroniani found altar was essentially forgotten.3 Lanciani’s notes from May on the Quirinal was the last of the three to be discovered.8 22, 1889, describe a fairly intact structure—a travertine block Little is known of the two other altars; one, presumably altar with remnants of a marble base molding on two sides.4 found on the Vatican plain, was reportedly used as building Although the altar’s inscription was not in situ, Lanciani refers material for the basilica of St.
    [Show full text]
  • Servius, Cato the Elder and Virgil
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by St Andrews Research Repository MEFRA – 129/1 – 2017, p. 85-100. Servius, Cato the Elder and Virgil Christopher SMITH C. Smith, British School at Rome, University of St Andrews, [email protected] This paper considers one of the most significant of the authors cited in the Servian tradition, Cato the Elder. He is cited more than any other historian, and looked at the other way round, Servius is a very important source for our knowledge of Cato. This paper addresses the questions of what we learn from Servius’ use of Cato, and what we learn about Virgil ? Servius, Cato the Elder, Virgil, Aeneas Cet article envisage la figure du principal auteur cite dans la tradition servienne, Caton l’Ancien. C’est l’historien le plus cité par Servius et, à l’inverse, Servius est une source très importante pour notre connaissance de Caton. Cet article revient sur l’utilisation de Caton par Servius et sur ce que Servius nous apprend sur Virgile. Servius, Catone l’Ancien, Virgile, Énée The depth of knowledge and understanding icance of his account of the beginnings of Rome. underpinning Virgil’s approach to Italy in the Our assumption that the historians focused on the Aeneid demonstrates that he was a profoundly earlier history and then passed rapidly over the learned poet ; and it was a learning which was early Republic is partly shaped by this tendency in clearly drawn on deep knowledge and under- the citing authorities2.
    [Show full text]
  • The Supernatural in Tacitus When Compared with His Predecessor Livy, Tacitus Has Been Said to Be Less Interested in the “Super
    The Supernatural in Tacitus When compared with his predecessor Livy, Tacitus has been said to be less interested in the “supernatural,” a rubric under which we include the prodigies and omens of traditional Roman religion; characters’ participation in forms of religious expression, both traditional and non-normative; and nebulous superhuman forces such as fate and fortune. In this panel, we seek to modify this perception by investigating aspects of the superhuman, religious, and/or inexplicable in Tacitus’ works that contribute in important ways to his historiographical project and to our view of Tacitus as an historian. As the most recent contribution on this topic shows (K. Shannon-Henderson, Religion and Memory in Tacitus’ Annals. Oxford, 2019), religion and its related fields are extremely important to Tacitus’ narrative technique, and ‘irrational’ elements such as fatum and fortuna are constantly at play in Tacitus’ works, particularly, but not exclusively, in his historical narratives. Each of the five papers that we have gathered for this panel addresses these topics from different angles, whether focusing more on the literary, historical, or linguistic elements of the Tacitean narrative under examination. Two papers focus on omens and other ways of predicting the future; two examine religious experiences of Tacitus’ characters; and one considers the role of fortuna in the world of the Dialogus. In the first paper, Contributor #1 examines the value of observing supernatural signs for decision-making in the Histories. In particular, s/he looks at the practical value of observing and interpreting supernatural signs as predictors of the future success or failure of military leaders.
    [Show full text]
  • Faliscan Personal Names
    W. D. C. de Melo Faliscan Personal names The Indo-European system There are two types of names: a) names consisting of two stems, often praising the qualities of the person concerned: Πατρο-κλέης; these can be shortened (in either stem), but a suffix has to be added: Πάτρο-κλ-ος; b) names consisting of one stem, often nicknames, sometimes praising good qualities, but more often mocking bad characteristics. In the original system, a single name is enough: Greek Αἰσχύλος, Vedic Bh¯ımasena (name of a hero), Celtic Dumnor¯ıx. But in order to distinguish between people of the same name, the father’s name can be added; this is optional; cf: a) genitive: Greek Δημοσθένης Δημοσθένου, Old High German Hadubrant Hiltibrantes sunu; b) adjective: Greek Αἴας Τελαμώνιος, Old English Wulf Wonr´eding. Occasionally what began as a patronymic continues in a family; cf. the kings of Pylos: Νηλεύς, son Νέστωρ Νηλήϊος, grandson ᾿Αντίλοχος Νηλήϊος. This then becomes a clan name, cf. the mythical Τανταλίδαι or the Vedic singers K¯an. v¯as. The Latin system The Latin system is very different from the Indo-European system. Systems similar to the Latin one can be found in Faliscan, Oscan and Umbrian, but also in Etruscan. We are presumably dealing with a regional phenomenon. The full form of a Roman name can be seen in CIL I2 827: M (arcus) Herennius M (arci) f (ilius) Mae(cia tribu) Rufus. This consists of: praenomen, nomen (=nomen gentile / nomen gentilicium), genitive of father’s name + ‘son’, name of the tribe (ablative), cognomen. Usage: Cicero uses the combination praenomen + nomen + cognomen only in highly official contexts; praenomen + nomen or praenomen + cognomen is used in formal contexts; a single name is informal.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Sea-Caspian Steppe: Natural Conditions 20 1.1 the Great Steppe
    The Pechenegs: Nomads in the Political and Cultural Landscape of Medieval Europe East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450 General Editors Florin Curta and Dušan Zupka volume 74 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ecee The Pechenegs: Nomads in the Political and Cultural Landscape of Medieval Europe By Aleksander Paroń Translated by Thomas Anessi LEIDEN | BOSTON This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided no alterations are made and the original author(s) and source are credited. Further information and the complete license text can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ The terms of the CC license apply only to the original material. The use of material from other sources (indicated by a reference) such as diagrams, illustrations, photos and text samples may require further permission from the respective copyright holder. Publication of the presented monograph has been subsidized by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education within the National Programme for the Development of Humanities, Modul Universalia 2.1. Research grant no. 0046/NPRH/H21/84/2017. National Programme for the Development of Humanities Cover illustration: Pechenegs slaughter prince Sviatoslav Igorevich and his “Scythians”. The Madrid manuscript of the Synopsis of Histories by John Skylitzes. Miniature 445, 175r, top. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Proofreading by Philip E. Steele The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available online at http://catalog.loc.gov LC record available at http://catalog.loc.gov/2021015848 Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”.
    [Show full text]
  • Map 44 Latium-Campania Compiled by N
    Map 44 Latium-Campania Compiled by N. Purcell, 1997 Introduction The landscape of central Italy has not been intrinsically stable. The steep slopes of the mountains have been deforested–several times in many cases–with consequent erosion; frane or avalanches remove large tracts of regolith, and doubly obliterate the archaeological record. In the valley-bottoms active streams have deposited and eroded successive layers of fill, sealing and destroying the evidence of settlement in many relatively favored niches. The more extensive lowlands have also seen substantial depositions of alluvial and colluvial material; the coasts have been exposed to erosion, aggradation and occasional tectonic deformation, or–spectacularly in the Bay of Naples– alternating collapse and re-elevation (“bradyseism”) at a staggeringly rapid pace. Earthquakes everywhere have accelerated the rate of change; vulcanicity in Campania has several times transformed substantial tracts of landscape beyond recognition–and reconstruction (thus no attempt is made here to re-create the contours of any of the sometimes very different forerunners of today’s Mt. Vesuvius). To this instability must be added the effect of intensive and continuous intervention by humanity. Episodes of depopulation in the Italian peninsula have arguably been neither prolonged nor pronounced within the timespan of the map and beyond. Even so, over the centuries the settlement pattern has been more than usually mutable, which has tended to obscure or damage the archaeological record. More archaeological evidence has emerged as modern urbanization spreads; but even more has been destroyed. What is available to the historical cartographer varies in quality from area to area in surprising ways.
    [Show full text]
  • “At the Sight of the City Utterly Perishing Amidst the Flames Scipio Burst Into
    Aurelii are one of the three major Human subgroups within western Eramus, and the founders of the mighty (some say “Eternal”) “At the sight of the city utterly perishing Aurelian Empire. They are a sturdy, amidst the flames Scipio burst into tears, conservative group, prone to religious fervor and stood long reflecting on the inevitable and philosophical revelry in equal measure. change which awaits cities, nations, and Adding to this a taste for conquest, and is it dynasties, one and all, as it does every one any wonder the Aurelii spread their of us men. This, he thought, had befallen influence, like a mighty eagle spreading its Ilium, once a powerful city, and the once wings, across the known world? mighty empires of the Assyrians, Medes, Persians, and that of Macedonia lately so splendid. And unintentionally or purposely he quoted---the words perhaps escaping him Aurelii stand a head shorter than most unconsciously--- other humans, but their tightly packed "The day shall be when holy Troy shall forms hold enough muscle for a man twice fall their height. Their physical endurance is And Priam, lord of spears, and Priam's legendary amongst human and elf alike. folk." Only the Brutum are said to be hardier, And on my asking him boldly (for I had and even then most would place money on been his tutor) what he meant by these the immovable Aurelian. words, he did not name Rome distinctly, but Skin color among the Aurelii is quite was evidently fearing for her, from this sight fluid, running from pale to various shades of the mutability of human affairs.
    [Show full text]
  • 10 Thrasyllus in Tacitus
    ) ) 10 THRASYLLUS IN TACITUS (ANN. 6.21 ) REVILO P. OLIVER We can only conjecture how many of the decisions and acts of Tiberius during his long principate were influenced or even determined by Thrasyllus, the one adviser in whom he appears to have had implicit and even unlimited confidence. The origin of this extraordinary friendship has been satis- factorily and, I am sure, correctly explained by Frederick H. Cramer. 1 When Tiberius, resenting the indignities put upon him by the man who was his stepfather and father-in-law, retired to Rhodes, Thrasyllus, an Alexandrian, perhaps of Greek an- cestry, was one of the most eminent of the competing profes- sors in that intellectual capital. According to Cramer, he "must be considered not only one of the most versatile, but also one of the most profound scholars of his era." We may doubt the profundity, which is not necessarily the same as subtlety, but we cannot question the versatility or the learning attested by Cramer's catalogue of his accomplish- ments, to which I add only the suggestion that the opinions and teaching of Thrasyllus may have changed in the course of a career of which the stages are summarized, I think, by a scholium on Juvenal: multarum artium scientiam professus postremo 2 se dedit Platonicae sectae ac deinde mathesi. A grammaticus with SO 1) Astrology in Roman Law and Politics (Philadelphia 1954), p. 94. For plausible conjectures concerning Thrasyllus' s possibly enormous in- fluence on historical events, see pp. 99-108. 2) Ad luv. 6.576. The scholiast is commonly disregarded because his concise note ends with a statement that when Thrasyllus thought himself in danger from Tiberius, dolum cum praesensit, fugit, which is taken to mean that he fled from Rhodes, whereas it is almost certain that he , Revilo P.
    [Show full text]