Fenestella (c. 52 BC – c. AD 19) was a Roman historian and encyclopaedic writer.

Biography

He flourished in the reign of

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

. According to

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

, he lived from 52 BC to AD 19 (according to others 35 BC – AD 36).

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

, ''

Natural History Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

'' 33.146 states, that Fenestella died at the end of the reign of the emperor

Work

Taking

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Virgil and Cicero). He is sometimes call ...

for his model, Fenestella was one of the chief representatives of the new style of historical writing which, in the place of the brilliant descriptive pictures of

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

, discussed curious and out-of-the-way incidents and customs of political and social life, including literary history. He was the author of a work entitled ''Annales'', probably from the earliest times down to his own days. The fragments indicate the great variety of subjects discussed: the origin of the appeal to the people (''provocatio''); the use of elephants in the circus games; the wearing of gold rings; the introduction of the olive tree; the material for making the toga; the cultivation of the soil; certain details as to the lives of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

and

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a playwright during the Roman Republic. He was the author of six Roman comedy, comedies based on Greek comedy, Greek originals by Menander or Apollodorus of Carystus. A ...

. The work was referred to (mention is made of an abridged edition) by

Asconius Pedianus Quintus Asconius Pedianus (9 BC – AD 76) was a Roman rhetorician from Patavium. There is no evidence that Asconius engaged in a public career, but his familiarity with the politics and geography of contemporary Rome suggests that he may hav ...

(the commentator on Cicero), Nonius and the philologists. Fragments of his work can be found in Hermann Peter's ''Historicorum Romanorum fragmenta'' (1883). A work published under the name of L. Fenestella (''De magistratibus et sacerdotiis Romanorum'', 1510) is really by A. D. Fiocchi, canon and papal secretary, and was subsequently published as by him (under the Latinized form of his name, Floccus), edited by Aegidius Witsius (1561).

Notes

References

* This work in turn cites: ** A monograph by L. Mercklin (1844) ** Joseph Poeth, ''De fenestella historiarum scriptore et carminum'' (1849) ** Martin Schanz, ''Geschichte der Röm. Litt.'', 2nd ed. (1901) ** Teuffel, ''Hist. of Roman Literature'', p. 259. {{EB1911 article with no significant updates 50s BC births 10s deaths Ancient Roman writers Golden Age Latin writers 1st-century BC Romans 1st-century Romans 1st-century historians Latin historians Encyclopedists in Latin Ancient Roman encyclopedists