Flavius ​​Turcius Rufius Apronianus Asterius

Flavius ​​Turcius Rufius Apronianus Asterius came from an old Roman noble family and lived in Rome in the second half of the 5th century. He held a number of the honorary posts customary at the time, such as that of the head of the palace guard ( comes domesticorum ) and the imperial private treasury ( comes privatarum largitionum ) as well as that of the city prefect of Rome ( praefectus urbi ) . He carried the important honorary title of Patricius and his name is carved on one of the seats in the Amphitheater Flavium (the " Colosseum "). In 494 he held the consulate , at that time a purely honorary position, and from then on held the title of vir illustris . The further life data are unclear.

There is also evidence of literary activity. The subscriptio of the Codex Vergilius Mediceus (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Pluteus 39.01), one of the oldest and most famous Virgil manuscripts, says: “I, Turcius Rufius Apronianus Asterius [...] have read and corrected the Codex of brother Macharius provided with punctuation marks “ (legi et distincxi codicem) , which means that Asterius carried out the final philological control or was at least responsible for it. Dated this entry is on 21 April 494. This correction action has he also made a dedication poem on the subject, which was on its obligations as consul during the holiday (April 21 as the "birthday of the city of Rome" with games and chariot races celebrated ) expressly refers; the total of eight elegiac distiches are handed down in the same Virgil manuscript, where they were added by a later hand. For the late ancient Roman aristocrat, the national holiday and the edition by the national poet Virgil were closely linked.

Asterius's editing activity is also documented for another work, the Carmen Paschale by the contemporary poet Sedulius , through the subscriptio in the oldest surviving manuscript. The self-designation as ex consule ("been consul") indicates the year 495 or later.

literature

• Ludo Moritz Hartmann : Asterius 10 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume II, 2, Stuttgart 1896, Sp. 1786.
• John Robert Martindale: Asterius 11. In: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1980, ISBN 0-521-20159-4 , pp.?.

Remarks

1. ↑ CIL 6, 32203 .
2. ↑ Cf. digitalisat in: Internet Culturale. Cataloghi e collezioni digitali delle biblioteche italiani. Biblioteca digital
3. ↑ Edited by E. Baehrens: Poetae Latini Minores. Volume 5, p. 110, and A. Riese: Anthologia Latina. I 1,3: Distincxi (sic) emendans, gratum mihi munus amici / suscipiens, operi sedulus incubui & c .