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Vettius Agorius Praetextatus
Vettius Agorius Praetextatus (c. 315 – 384) was a wealthy pagan aristocrat in the 4th-century Roman Empire, and a high priest in the cults of numerous gods. He served as the praetorian prefect at the court of Emperor Valentinian II in 384 until his death that same year. Sources His life is primarily known through the works of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus and Ammianus Marcellinus, supplemented by some epigraphical records. Symmachus (c. 345 – c. 402) was a leading member of the senatorial aristocracy of his time and the best orator of his age. Symmachus' letters, speeches and relations have been preserved and testify a sincere friendship between Symmachus and Praetextatus: according to Symmachus, Praetextatus was a good magistrate and a virtuous man.Kahlos (2002), Introduction. Ammianus Marcellinus, writing in the early 390s, tells about Praetextatus in three passages of his ''Res Gestae'': in all of them Ammianus shows appreciation of Praetextatus' actions, while the same author ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pagan
Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the Roman Empire, individuals fell into the pagan class either because they were increasingly rural and provincial relative to the Christian population, or because they were not '' milites Christi'' (soldiers of Christ).J. J. O'Donnell (1977)''Paganus'': Evolution and Use, ''Classical Folia'', 31: 163–69. Alternative terms used in Christian texts were '' hellene'', '' gentile'', and '' heathen''. Ritual sacrifice was an integral part of ancient Greco-Roman religion and was regarded as an indication of whether a person was pagan or Christian. Paganism has broadly connoted the "religion of the peasantry". During and after the Middle Ages, the term ''paganism'' was applied to any non-Christian religion, and the term presumed a belief in f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joannes Laurentius Lydus
John the Lydian or John Lydus (; ) ( AD 490 – 565) was a Byzantine administrator and writer. He is considered a key figure in antiquarian studies from the fourth to the sixth century A.D. Although he is a secondary author, his works are significant because they are filled with valuable insights into history, astronomy, astrology, mythology, religion, and language. Additionally, they provide important information on Roman and Byzantine culture, making them worthy of in-depth study. Life and career He was born in AD 490 at Philadelphia in Lydia, whence his cognomen "Lydus". At an early age he set out to seek his fortune in Constantinople, and held high court and state offices in the praetorian prefecture of the East under Anastasius and Justinian. Around 543, Lydus was appointed to a chair of Latin language and literature at an institute of higher education of Constantinople. In 552, he lost Justinian's favour and was dismissed. The date of his death is not known, but he was pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vettius Agorius Basilius Mavortius
Vettius Agorius Basilius Mavortius ( 527–534) was a Roman aristocrat who lived during Ostrogothic rule. He was appointed consul for 527. Biography Mavortius was probably the son of Caecina Mavortius Basilius Decius, consul in 486, and related to Vettius Agorius Praetextatus, an influential aristocrat of the late 4th century. In 527, Mavortius held the positions of ''Comes domesticorum'' (Commander of the Imperial Guard) and consul. Subscriptions in three manuscripts containing the works of Horace state that Mavortius emended one text of that poet in the sixth century. The scholar Vollmer believed Mavortius' copy was the archetype of the entire tradition, but R. J. Tarrant argues that the subscription was copied from Mavortius' manuscript into an unrelated book, then found its way into the three surviving manuscripts – which otherwise belong to different branches of the manuscript transmission. A subscription with Mavortius' name also appears in a sixth-century manuscript o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aventine Hill
The Aventine Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. It has two distinct heights, one greater to the northwest (''Aventinus Major'') and one lesser to the southeast (''Aventinus Minor''), divided by a steep cleft that provides the base for an ancient roadway between the heights. During the Republican era, the two hills may have been recognized as a single entity. The Augustan reforms of Rome's urban neighbourhoods ('' vici'') recognised the ancient road between the two heights (the modern Viale Aventino) as a common boundary between the new Regio XIII, which absorbed Aventinus Maior, and the part of Regio XII known as Aventinus Minor. Etymology and mythology Most Roman sources trace the name of the hill to a legendary king Aventinus. Servius identifies two kings of that name, one ancient ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aconius Catullinus Philomatius
Aconius Catullinus Philomatius ( 338–349 AD) was a Roman senator who held high state offices under the emperor Constans. Biography Aconius (or Aco) Catullinus was probably a son of the identically-named senator who served as governor of Africa in 317–318. He was a pagan. He was consul ''suffectus'' at an unknown date, and served as governor () of Gallaecia in Hispania before 338. A dedication of his to Jupiter Optimus Maximus during his term of office has been preserved (). In 338–339, Catullinus served as ''vicarius'' of Africa, and is attested on 24 June 341 as praetorian prefect of Italy. From 6 July 342 to 11 April 344, he served as urban prefect of Rome. A law (''Codex Theodosianus'', 16.10.3) addressed to (and likely suggested by) him, dated 1 November 342 during his term of office, concerns the preservation of pagan temples. Catullinus was consul ''ordinarius'' in 349. Catullinus had a daughter, Aconia Fabia Paulina, who married the senator Vettius Agorius Pra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volusius Venustus
Volusius Venustus (''floruit'' 4th century) was an aristocrat of the Roman Empire. Biography Volusius Venustus set up a monument in the forum of Canosa in honour of Constantine I and his two sons (the fact that only two sons are honoured means that the monument was set up between 317 and 333, less the period between 324 and 326). This monument is a clue that he was from this city in southern Italia; it also marks his office, the one of ''corrector Apuliae et Calabriae'' (governor of the region corresponding to the present-day Apulia). A Venustus is attested in the year 362, as a member of a senatorial delegation to Antioch to the emperor Julian, who on this occasion nominated this Venustus as ''vicarius Hispaniarum'' (362-363). In 370, together with Vettius Agorius Praetextatus and Minervius, he comprised a senatorial legation to the Emperor Valentinian I, asking him not to torture those senators involved in trials.Ammianus Marcellinus, xxviii.1.24-25. According to a long-sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucius Aurelius Avianius Symmachus
Lucius Aurelius Avianius Symmachus Phosphorius (died 376) was an aristocrat of the Roman Empire, and father of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. Biography A member of the aristocratic family of the Symmachi, he was the son of Aurelius Valerius Tullianus Symmachus, consul for 330. He had one daughter and four sons, among whom were Celsinus Titianus and the most influential of the Symmachi, the orator Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. Avianius was among the senators who had not converted to Christianity and continued to practice the traditional state religion of Rome,Mazzarino, p. 412. and was member of several priestly ''collegia'', including the ''Pontefices Vestae'' and the ''Quindecimviri sacris faciundis, quindecimviri sacris faciundi'' (from 351 to 375). By January 350 he held the office of praefectus annonae; later that decade he was ''vicarius urbis Romae''. In 361, he went to Antioch (in Syria (Roman province), Syria), where he probably met Libanius, to meet Emperor Constantius II: it i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vettius Rufinus
Gaius Vettius Cossinius Rufinus (fl. 306316) was a politician and senator of the late Roman Empire. In 306 he was made proconsul of Achaea, but Maxentius' revolt in Rome prevented Rufinus from taking up the post, since Maxentius did not have jurisdiction in Achaea. He was ''curator'' (i.e., official in charge of maintenance) of the via Flaminia, of the Tiber riverbed and of Rome's drains, ''corrector'', or governor, of Regio X Venetia et Histria, the province of Diocletian that covered Tuscia Umbria and Campania, all under Maxentius. Wanting to gain the Roman Senate's support, Constantine honoured Rufinus despite his having been a supporter of his rival Maxentius and made him comes Augusti nostri (i.e., to Constantine's colleague in the east, Licinius). Three senators were elected praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Praefectus Urbi
The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and held high importance in late Antiquity. The office survived the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, and the last urban prefect of Rome, named Iohannes, is attested in 599. Lançon (2000), p. 45 In the East, in Constantinople, the office survived until the 13th century. Regal period According to Roman tradition, in 753 BC when Romulus founded the city of Rome and instituted the monarchy, he also created the office of ''custos urbis'' (guardian of the city) to serve as the king's chief lieutenant. Appointed by the king to serve for life, the ''custos urbis'' served concurrently as the '' princeps Senatus''. As the second highest office of state, the ''custos urbis'' was the king's personal representative. In the absence of the king fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gaius Vettius Cossinus Rufinus
Gaius, sometimes spelled Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People *Gaius (biblical figure) (1st century AD) *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius Pollio * Gaius Ateius Capito *Gaius Aurelius Cotta * Gaius Calpurnius Piso *Gaius Canuleius, a tribune *Gaius Cassius Longinus *Gaius Charles, American actor *Gaius Claudius Glaber, Roman military commander during the Third Servile War *Gaius Claudius Marcellus Maior, consul in 49 BC * Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor (88–40 BC), consul in 50 BC *Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, Roman orator famous for the annals and histories *Gaius Duilius *Gaius Fabricius Luscinus * Gaius Flaminius *Gaius Flavius Fimbria *Gaius Gracchus *Gaius Julius Alpinus Classicianus * Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos, consul and Syrian prince *Gaius Julius Caesar, mostly known as only "Julius Caesar" * Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, someti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empires between its consecration in 330 until 1930, when it was renamed to Istanbul. Initially as New Rome, Constantinople was founded in 324 during the reign of Constantine the Great on the site of the existing settlement of Byzantium, and shortly thereafter in 330 became the capital of the Roman Empire. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the late 5th century, Constantinople remained the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire; 330–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). Following the Turkish War of Independence, the Turkish capital then moved to Ankara. Although the city had been known as Istanbul since 1453, it was officially renamed as Is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
