Lucius Papirius Praetextatus

Lucius Papirius Praetextatus was a Papirian-born politician in the ancient Roman Republic . In 272 BC Chr. He held the office of censor and died in his office this year.

Little is known about his life. An anecdote is reported from his childhood, in which the origin of the cognom is explained: The young Lucius, wearing the toga praetexta , i.e. not yet of legal age, was allowed, as was still customary at the time, as the son of a senator, his father in the Curia Hostilia accompany. Because an item on the agenda could not be dealt with conclusively in the relevant Senate meeting, it was postponed with the requirement that those present maintain silence until the final decision was made. But Lucius' mother was curious and questioned the son, who bravely remained silent, the matter escalated and finally the mother became violent. Then the boy took refuge in a lie. It was about what was more advantageous, whether a man should have two wives or a woman should have two husbands. Alarmed, she informed the other women of this, with the success that they appeared in droves in front of the Senate building the next day and assured the senators that it was better for a woman to have two husbands than the other way around. The senators were speechless until Lucius enlightened them. They admired his reliability and cleverness and decided that from now on no more children apart from Lucius should be admitted to the Curia. Later this Lucius Papirius was awarded the cognomen praetextatus in honor of his cleverness at the age of a child with the toga praetexta.

The vain beatings obtained from the mother were made proverbial as vapula Papyria Erasmus of Rotterdam , albeit with an incorrect explanation.

The construction of Rome's second aqueduct, the Anio Vetus , goes back to Lucius Papirius Praetextatus as censor and his colleague Manius Curius Dentatus .

literature

Friedrich Münzer : Papirius 72). In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume XVIII, 3, Stuttgart 1949, Sp. 1073 f.

Web links

Censors of Rome During the Roman Republic

Remarks

↑ Aulus Gellius , Noctes Atticae 1, 23, 1-3 (from it Macrobius , Saturnalia 1, 6, 19ff.). Gellius gives a speech by Marcus Porcius Cato as the source for this story, which he reproduces in abbreviated form .
^ Sextus Iulius Frontinus , De aquaeductu urbis Romae 1,6 (the Lucius Papirius Praetextatus confused with the consul of the same sex of the year 272 BC, Lucius Papirius Cursor ).

personal data
SURNAME	Papirius Praetextatus, Lucius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Politicians in the ancient Roman Republic
DATE OF BIRTH	4th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	272 BC Chr.

[1] Aulus Gellius , Noctes Atticae 1, 23, 1-3 (from it Macrobius , Saturnalia 1, 6, 19ff.). Gellius gives a speech by Marcus Porcius Cato as the source for this story, which he reproduces in abbreviated form .

[2] Sextus Iulius Frontinus , De aquaeductu urbis Romae 1,6 (the Lucius Papirius Praetextatus confused with the consul of the same sex of the year 272 BC, Lucius Papirius Cursor ).