Mardonios (rhetorician)
Mardonios was a late antique rhetor , philosopher and educator of princes who lived in the 4th century. He is best known from the writings of his pupil Julian , who was Roman emperor from 360 to 363 .
Mardonios was a eunuch of Gothic origin who grew up as a slave in the household of the Praetorian prefect of the Emperor Licinius , Iulius Iulianus . He acquired extensive knowledge of Greek poetry and philosophy , which he passed on to his pupil Basilina , his master's daughter. Around 330 she married Iulius Constantius , the half-brother of Constantine the Great , who in the meantime had defeated Licinius and taken over the rule of the entire empire. The couple had a son, who later became Emperor Julian.
After Julian's parents had died - Basilina a natural death, Iulius Constantius in the context of the murders after the death of Constantine the Great - he lived in the household of his grandfather Iulius Iulianus from 338. There he was taught by his mother's old teacher, who was to have a formative influence on him. Mardonios brought Julian the philosophers of the Greek classical period such as Socrates , Plato and Aristotle and introduced him to the works of Homer , whose descriptions of gardens or horse races, for example, were more beautiful than reality could ever be.
Mardonios is mentioned in several of Julian's works, particularly in his satire Der Barthasser (Greek Misopogon ). In his eulogy for Julian, the rhetor Libanios describes the positive influence of Mardonios on his pupil.
literature
- Kirsten Gross-Albenhausen: Mardonios [2]. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 7, Metzler, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-476-01477-0 , Sp. 877.
- Arnold Hugh Martin Jones , John Robert Martindale, John Morris : Mardonius 1. In: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Volume 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1971, ISBN 0-521-07233-6 , p. 558.
- Klaus Rosen : Julian. Emperor, God and haters of Christians . Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-608-94296-3 , p. 71-76, 80-81, and the like. a .
Remarks
- ↑ On the origin of Mardonios and his work as a teacher of Basilina Julian, Der Barthasser 352a – b ( Wikisource ).
- ↑ On Julian's parents Ammianus Marcellinus 25,3,23; Libanios , speeches 18: 8-9.
- ↑ On Basilina's death Julian, Der Barthasser 352b; on the death of Iulius Constantius Libanios, speeches 18:31.
- ↑ To Homer Julian, Der Barthasser 351c – 352a; to the philosophers Der Barthasser 353b – c.
- ↑ On Mardonios Libanios, speeches 18:11.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mardonios |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mardonius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | late antique rhetor, philosopher and educator of princes |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 3rd century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 4th century |