Serenus Sammonicus

Serenus Sammonicus († probably 211) was a Roman scholar, mentor of Geta and Caracalla and author of lost works.

He was "a man of books in an archaic world" and "a worthy successor to Fronto and Aulus Gellius , whose social status was closely linked to the prevailing passion for grammar and mastery of ancient teachings." According to Macrobius , the works of the Serenus for exploited his Saturnalia , he was "the most well-read man of his time". Serenus had a library with 60,000 volumes.

His work Res reconditae was mentioned in at least five ancient books, but is only preserved in these quotations.

The Augustan History According to the popular scholar was assassinated in December 211, along with other friends of Geta, at a dinner to which he was invited by Caracalla, shortly after it had assassinated his brother.

Serenus Sammonicus was previously wrongly equated with Quintus Serenus , the author of a Liber medicinalis .

literature

Edward Champlin : Serenus Sammonicus. In: Harvard Studies in Classical Philology , Volume 85, 1981, pp. 189-212
Klaus Sallmann : Septimius Serenus (Sammonicus). In: Klaus Sallmann (ed.): The literature of upheaval. From Roman to Christian literature, AD 117 to 284 (= Handbook of Ancient Latin Literature , Volume 4). CH Beck, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-406-39020-X , pp. 591-598

Remarks

↑ The main vitae of the Historia Augusta (up to Elagabal ) are largely based on the lost biographies of Marius Maximus (or an Ignotus [unknown], according to Ronald Syme ) and are viewed as relatively reliable in research.

personal data
SURNAME	Sammonicus, Serenus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Roman scholar
DATE OF BIRTH	2nd century
DATE OF DEATH	uncertain: 211

[1] The main vitae of the Historia Augusta (up to Elagabal ) are largely based on the lost biographies of Marius Maximus (or an Ignotus [unknown], according to Ronald Syme ) and are viewed as relatively reliable in research.