Gaius Maecenas
Gaius Maecenas (also Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , German also Mäcenas ; * April 13th around 70 BC in Arretium, today's Arezzo ; † 8 BC in Rome ) was a confidante and political advisor to the Roman emperor Augustus and a Patron of the arts, whose name became a generic term as " patron ".
On the paternal side, Maecenas came from the Arretian knight family of the Maecenates, on the maternal side the Etruscan family of the Cilnier. Hence the gentile name , which is sometimes added to his. The poet Horace exaggerated the noble descent of his friend in an ode with the address atavis edite regibus ("offspring of the old royal family").
Maecenas was one of the earliest confidants of Octavian, Julius Caesar's great-nephew and heir . Already during the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC. BC he was in the immediate retinue of the later Augustus. After he had achieved sole rule over the Roman Empire , Maecenas was one of the most important helpers in the consolidation of the principate . Loyally and without ambition of his own, he conducted diplomatic negotiations for the Princeps and carried out state business for him. In later years Augustus stalked Maecenas' wife Terentia. Nevertheless, the counselor bequeathed his fortune to the Princeps (this was customary in order to secure the will against contestation), including his extensive gardens on the Esquiline . These were later included in the complex of the Domus Aurea under Nero ; on a high tower in the maecenatic possessions the emperor is said to have looked at the great fire of Rome and sang about it.
The affluent and affluent Maecenas also tried his hand at poetry, but received harsh criticism from Lucius Annaeus Seneca for this and for his way of life (for example in De providentia 3,9 ff). Maecenas has achieved lasting fame by promoting young poets, who also expressed their gratitude in poems. Among them are Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace), to whom he donated an estate ( Sabinum ), Publius Vergilius Maro , whom he helped to receive compensation for his paternal inheritance, which was expropriated for the benefit of the veterans, and also friends of both, the poets Sextus Aurelius propertius and Lucius Varius Rufus . Maecenas' circles of poets contributed significantly to the propagation of the principle of the principle .
The term patron for wealthy patrons of art and science goes back to his name; Certain prizes that are awarded to promote art (for example “Maecenas” and “ Maecenas Honors ”) were named after him.
literature
Overview representations
- Régine Chambert: Maecenas (Gaius Cilnius). In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques . Volume 4, CNRS Éditions, Paris 2005, ISBN 2-271-06386-8 , pp. 242-244.
Investigations
- Bernard Andreae : The portraits of Gaius Cilnius Maecenas in Arezzo and at the Ara Pacis. In: Communications of the German Archaeological Institute, Roman Department . Volume 112, 2005/2006, pp. 121-161 ( online ).
- Clément Chillet: De l'Étrurie à Rome. Mécène et la fondation de l'Empire (= Bibliothèque des écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome. Volume 373). École française de Rome, Rome 2016, ISBN 978-2-7283-1202-3 .
- Marion Giebel: Maecenas: friend and sponsor of talents in Rome, patron of the donors . Kester Haeusler Foundation, Fürstenfeldbruck 2000, ISBN 3-931548-01-5 .
- Philippe Le Doze: Mécène. Ombres and flamboyances. Les Belles Lettres, Paris, 2014, ISBN 978-2-251-32892-8 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Gaius Maecenas in the catalog of the German National Library
- Website on the “Gardens” of the Maecenas
Remarks
- ↑ See Horace , Oden 4,11,14-20.
- ↑ a b Publius Cornelius Tacitus , Annalen 6,11,2.
- ↑ Horace, Odes 1,1,1.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Maecenas, Gaius |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Maecenas, Gaius Cilnius; Cilnius Maecenas, Gaius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Roman politician and patron |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 13 at 70 BC Chr. |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Arretium |
| DATE OF DEATH | 8 v. Chr. |