Aquiles Estaço

Aquiles Estaço , Latinized Achilles Statius Lusitanus , Italian Achille Stazio (born June 12, 1524 in Vidigueira , Beja district , Alentejo , Portugal ; † September 17, 1581 in Rome , Italy ) was a Portuguese humanist , writer, philologist and translator. Along with João de Barros , André de Gouveia and Damião de Góis, he is considered the most important humanist in Portugal in the 16th century.

Life

Aquiles, whose name translates as Achilles , was so named by his father, Paulo Nunes Estaço, because he hoped his son would learn the craft of arms like his father. Paulo was the official armorer of Dom Vasco da Gama , the discoverer of the sea route to India and Count of Vidigueira, thus his liege lord. Through his work as an armorer of high Portuguese gentlemen, Paulo and with it Aquiles lived abroad for the first eight years of his life, especially in Brazil and Africa. But the sensitive boy chose languages instead of the arms trade and first began studying Greek and Latin at the University of Évora . His teacher was João de Barros, whose son Antonio was a fellow student. After a short time he switched to the University of Coimbra , one of the oldest universities in Europe and the headquarters of Portuguese humanism . After a while, from 1545 onwards, he switched to the University of Leuven in Flanders , where he continued his studies. 1548 moved to the University of Paris , where he completed his studies in theology , Greek and Hebrew as well as Latin . He wrote his first book when he was just twenty-three.

In 1555 he came to Rome for the first time, where he stayed until 1557. Then his presence in Padua is confirmed. During this time he was the personal secretary and librarian of Guido Ascanio Sforza , Camerlengo of the Pope and Protector of Portugal (1518–1564). He was also under the protection of various popes of the time; Pope Pius IV, for example, protected him because he served as a translator of various Greek theologians and authors into Latin. So he translated John Chrysostom , Cyril of Alexandria , Athanasius the Great , Gregory of Nyssa , Callimachus of Cyrene , Amphilochius of Iconium . Despite the offer of the crown to write a comprehensive historical account of the country, he never returned to his homeland.

His commentary on the work of Catullus gained importance, which is now available in printed form as a book in more than thirty-three libraries in Italy and is also used for school and academic purposes. There are also commentary books on Suetonius , Horace and Cicero .

Aquiles died on September 17, 1581 and was buried in the local congregational church of Santa Maria in Vallicella the Oratorian . He left his library with more than 1,700 volumes and several hundred manuscripts to the Order Library , which was able to build its now extensive library on it. About twenty-five books and about thirty-eight manuscripts have been preserved by Aquiles himself. The research continues.

In his home community Vidigueira there is a study center that deals scientifically with the processing of the life and work of Aquiles: "Centro de estudos e formação Aquiles Estaço".

Works (selection)

Achilles Stattii Lusitani Syluulae Duae quibus a diucta sunt. Praefatio in topica ciceronis, et oratio quodliletica eiusda. Nunc primum in lucem aelita, 1547.
De retibus ecclesistiis beneficiis et qui pensionibus contintur commentarioli, 1575.

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personal data
SURNAME	Estaço, Aquiles
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Portuguese humanist, writer, philologist and translator
DATE OF BIRTH	June 12, 1524
PLACE OF BIRTH	Vidigueira
DATE OF DEATH	September 17, 1581
Place of death	Rome