Sextus Tarquinius

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Sextus Tarquinius was a prince of the Etruscan ruling family of the Tarquinians, mythically transfigured in Roman historiography . According to the writers Titus Livius and Ovid , he was the third and youngest son of the last Etruscan king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus , and according to Dionysius, his eldest son. Posterity he has been a major player in the expulsion of the kingdom of Rome by Lucius Junius Brutus related rape of Lucretia , the wife of Tarquinius Collatinus and daughter of Spurius Lucretius Tricipitinus known. In his description of the early Roman period, Titus Livius gives a description of the events in the first book of his main work Ab urbe condita ; Ovid processes the subject poetically in his Fasti . Also Dionysius of Halicarnassus goes to its Roman antiquities one of the operations.

presentation

Sextus Tarquinius appears in two stories: the capture of the city of Gabii and the rape of Lucretia . The narrative of the rape occupies a prominent position in tradition and reception.

The protagonists of the two narrative circles are closely related to each other.

  • Sextus Tarquinius is one of three sons of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. Brothers of Sextus are Arruns Tarquinius (not to be confused with the brother of Superbus) and Titus Tarquinius .
  • Lucius Junius Brutus, the expeller of the kings and initiator of the republic, is cousin of Sextus and his brothers; his mother Tarquinia is a sister of L. Tarquinius Superbus.
  • Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, the husband of Lucretia, belongs to an impoverished side line of the Tarquinians. He is the grandson of the great-uncle of Sextus.

The taking of Gabii

Sextus Tarquinius appears in Livy for the first time during the siege of the city of Gabii by King L. Tarquinius Superbus; Ovid also woven the siege into his work. The siege of the city by the Romans had stalled and was not progressing. Therefore, Tarquinius Superbus decided to take the city with a ruse - according to the very un-Roman custom. The king pretended to take care of inner-city construction projects rather than taking care of the income and commissioned his son Sextus to pose as a defector in Gabii . Sextus then played to the Gabiern that he had just escaped the captors of his own father and that he is now seeking refuge with the enemies of the Tarquinians.

The Gabier received him kindly and hoped with his help to defeat Tarquinius Superbus. Sextus then also took part in the meetings and deliberations, constantly pushed for war and, after having gained the trust of the Gabier through cunning and cunning, was elected general . In the course of smaller staged battles and by generously distributing the booty, he made himself so popular among the Gabians that he soon became the most powerful and influential man in town. Not knowing how to proceed, he sent a messenger to Rome to get instructions from his father. However, he did not speak to the messenger, but kept chopping off the tall poppy heads (in Ovid's case flowers of lilies ) standing by the roadside . Sextus recognized in the act, which the messenger could not understand, a hidden order from his father to gradually eliminate Gabii's ruling elite . With this instruction in mind, Sextus succeeded in thinning the Gabonese elite to such an extent through political intrigue and assassination and in giving the population so favored by gifts that the city surrendered itself to the Romans without a sword blow.

The rape of Lucretia

After Titus Livius

The description of the circumstances of the rape begins with Livy with the siege of the Rutulian city ​​of Ardea by the Romans. Reason for the siege was the urge of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus to the richness of Ardeaten prey to rehabilitate its battered finances and to appease the popular unrest by gifts. After the city could not be taken in the storm, the army went to a siege. To pass the time during the protracted siege, the young nobles met for mutual feasts . At one of these dinners, the conversation between those heated by the wine turned to the wives and the question of which of them would be the more outstanding. In order to clarify the issue, it was decided to visit the women named by the husbands in turn in Rome and Collatia .

It turned out that all women had taken advantage of the men's absence to pass the time with feasting and indulging in decadent luxury . Only Lucretia, the wife of Collatinus, was found late in the evening working with wool and showed herself to be a friendly hostess in the further course of the evening. Impressed by the beauty and chaste manner of Lucretia, the men finally agreed to recognize Lucretia as the winner of the nightly competition. After enjoying the hospitality, the group returned to the army camp . Only Sextus Tarquinius, inflamed with a disdainful desire for Lucretia, planned in secret how he could get hold of her.

A few days later Tarquinius returned to Lucretia to carry out his plan to win the heart of the beautiful. At night he crept into her bedchamber, threatened her with a sword and began, driven by ardent lust, sometimes with flattery, sometimes with threat, to break into the chaste in order to induce her to commit adultery with him. Lucretia initially remained steadfast, but her defense broke when the Tarquinian threatened to publicly dishonor her by first murdering her and then draping the corpse of a naked male slave with her in such a way that the appearance of adultery with a slave would arise. After he had satisfied his desire, Sextus returned to the army camp in front of Ardea. Lucretia, grieved, sent for her father and for her husband.

After her husband and father arrived in Colatina, Lucretia described what had happened. In order to save her own honor and to reinforce her defense speech, she then committed suicide by stabbing herself with a dagger in front of those present, even though all those present absolved her of all sin and approved her well. After the surprise suicide, father and husband gave in to their grief. The present Lucius Junius Brutus took the initiative in the situation, took up the dagger of the deceased and began an oath in revenge of the raped and the expulsion of the Tarquin despot family, in which the rest of those present agreed.

In the following, Brutus used the events and the associated consternation of the Romans to raise the mood against Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. He moved with his band to Rome, closed the gates to the Tarquinians, announced his dismissal and drove out other members of the clan. Subsequently, Brutus is said to have introduced the political institutions such as the consulate . Sextus Tarquinius fled to Gabii , where he met a violent death from old enemies .

After Dionysius of Halicarnassus

Dionysius lets the events of the rape, like Livy, begin with the siege of Ardea. However, the reason for the first encounter between Sextus Tarquinius and Lucretia is different. Dionysius reports nothing of a drunken competition among the young nobles and subsequent ride to the individual wives, but states that Sextus was sent to the city of Collatina on the orders of his father to perform military tasks there. Once there, he stayed with Lucretia, his relative's wife, who welcomed and entertained him in a friendly manner. Seduced by the charm of his hostess, Sextus decided to seduce her.

The portrayal of the rape and its effects is similar to that of Livy. Sextus sneaks into Lucretia's bedroom with his sword drawn and tries to persuade her to commit adultery. He gives the woman the choice of either giving herself to him and then marrying him, or he would claim to have caught her in the act in adultery with a slave and then killed both of them. Then Lucretia gives in. After the deed is done, the Tarquin returns to the camp.

Lucretia thereupon orders her father to gather some confidants around him because she has something important to tell him. She then stabs herself to death among those present. In contrast to Livius' description, only Publius Valerius is present during the suicide in the depiction of Dionysius. Brutus and Collatinus are in the camp. A little later, Father Valerius reports the bad news to both of them. Brutus then gives several speeches, swears by the dagger of Lucretia and begins to organize the resistance against the tyrant and the establishment of the Roman institutions.

aftermath

With the expulsion of the last Etruscan king and his clan (~ 509/8), the Roman royal era came to an end. Political power passed completely to the nobility, which at that time consisted only of patricians . Along with this relocation, the first republican magistrates were created, which were bound by the principle of equality under aristocratic rule . The Etruscan King Lars Porsenna from Clusium took advantage of the power vacuum that arose in this phase of upheaval, which was only slowly filling with the help of the newly created structures , and - according to a tradition, at the instigation of the Tarquinius Superbus - went against Rome and took it. The tradition of the events around Sextus shows - in strong interweaving with historical reality - "the real horror of every aristocracy, which for the Romans was symbolized in the image of the tyrannical king Tarquinius Superbus [and his clan]."

reception

The fabulous events surrounding Sextus Tarquinius and the last Etruscan royal dynasty of Rome repeatedly inspired writers - from antiquity to modern times - to deal with the subject. Often the authors refer to Sextus Tarquinius as well as Lucretia in their reception . The two people are often juxtaposed in literary terms in order to emphasize the respective character traits. The processing ranges from the focus on the representation of the tyrant topoi, for which Sextus Tarquinius was regarded as the ideal representative, which was popular with ancient writers, to the homage to Lucretia, as for example with the Renaissance author Dante Alighieri , to the problematization of suicide and the discussion of complicity Lucretia with the church father Aurelius Augustinus .

There are also numerous examples of the reception of the topic in the visual arts. The spectrum of artistic engagement ranges from sculptures to paintings to mosaics. Similar to literature, Lucretia and Sextus are usually depicted together. The depiction often focuses on the threat and rape of Lucretia by Sextus Tarquinius. In depictions of suicide, Lucretia is generally depicted alone or with her relatives.

swell

literature

  • Luciana Aigner-Foresti: The Etruscans and early Rome. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2003, ISBN 3-534-15495-9 . (= Compact history. Antiquity)
  • Jochen Bleicken: The Constitution of the Roman Republic. Paderborn 8 2008, ISBN 978-3-8252-0460-0 .
  • Martin Jehne: The Roman Republic. From the foundation to Caesar. Munich 2 2008, ISBN 978-3-406-50862-2 .
  • Jorich G. Oosten: The war of the gods. The social code in Indo-European mythology. Suffolk 1985. ISBN 0-7102-0289-X .
  • Friedhelm Prayon: The Etruscans. History, religion, art. Munich 5 2010. ISBN 978-3-406-59812-8 .
  • Lutz Walther (ed.): Ancient myths and their reception. A lexicon. Stuttgart 2009. ISBN 978-3-15-020051-3 .

Web links

Commons : Sextus Tarquinius  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The historicity of the Tarquins and their opponents is controversial in research. But at least parts and main features of the tradition should be historical. Research sees evidence of this in an inscription from Satricum. In this a Valesios Poplios is mentioned, who is probably about "Publicus Valerius Publicola, one of the first men of Rome after the fall of the kingdom [...], or about his son." (Aigner-Foresti: Die Etrusker und das early Rom , p. 105) However, Aigner-Foresti notes in the following sentence that the named “could also have been a historically otherwise unknown man of the same name” (Aigner-Foresti: Die Etrusker und das Früh Rom , p 105) See also p. 142 where Aigner-Foresti names the historicity of the Publicola as “highly probable”. Jehne formulates a critical view of the early and royal times of Rome : The Roman Republic. From the foundation to Caesar , p. 13, pointedly when he writes: “Because all studies show that no oral tradition [...] can only pass for over 100 years [...] without serious alienation of the facts enter, it is utterly improbable that the sequence and characters of this [...] narrative can claim even a touch of authenticity. In addition, stories of rape are such an integral part of the numerous ancient depictions of the degeneration of tyrants that they can simply be viewed as the product of literary processing [...]. "
  2. ↑ On the influence of the Etruscans on the (early) Roman Republic and its political constitution, see Bleicken: The Constitution of the Roman Republic , pp. 272–3.
  3. ↑ Liv. I, 53, 5: "[...] Sextus filius eius, qui minimus ex tribus erat [...]." Ov. nearly. II, 691 "[...] namque trium minimus, proles manifesta Superbi [...]"
  4. ↑ Dion. Hal. ant. IV, 64, 2: "At this time Sextus, the eldest son of Tarquinius [...]"; 65, 2: "[...] since I [= Sextus] am his eldest son."
  5. ↑ Dion. Hal. ant. IV, 63, 1: "[...] and being now no longer in any fear concerning his [Tarquinius Superbus'] power, he was both driven from power and exiled because of the outrageous deed of Sextus, his eldest son, who ruined a married woman. "
  6. ↑ See Gabii's intake: Liv. I, 53, 4-54, 10 and Ov. nearly. II, 684a-710, as well as on the rape of Lucretia: Liv. I, 57, 5-60, 2 and Ov. nearly. II, 721-852.
  7. ↑ See Dion. Hal. ant. IV, 64, 1-67.4; IV, 70, 1-71, 6.
  8. ↑ The historical research on myths following Claude Lévi-Strauss structuralism tends to deal with "[of] a structural conflict between different principles of succession through descent" in narratives in which the protagonists are integrated into a similarly complex family structure (Oosten : The war of the gods , p. 148) to see which “constitutes the main problem.” (Oosten: The war of the gods , p. 148) As the core antagonists of the narrative circles “for the succession [are] Tarquinius' sons and his sister's son Brutus. [...] Collatinus also played an important part [...] [as] a member of the impoverished collateral line [...] [which,] is in marked opposition to the royal line . First [...] [they] were deprived of their wealth, [...] then they were even deprived of their wives, when Sextus Tarquinius raped Collatinus´s wife. "(Oosten: The war of the gods , p. 148)
  9. ^ Oosten: The war of the gods , p. 146, as well as the overall interpretation regarding the Tarquin Dynasty, p. 144–151.
  10. ↑ Liv. I, 53, 5: “Nam cum velut posito bello fundamentis templi iaciendis aliisque urbanis operibus intentum se esse simularet, Sextus filius eius, qui minimus ex tribus erat, transfugit ex composito Gabios, patris in se saevitiam intolerabilem conquerens [...]. "; I, 53, 7: "Se quidem inter tela et gladios patris elapsum nihil usquam sibi tutum nisi apud hostes L. Tarquini credidisse." Ov. nearly. II, 692-696: “[...] [Sextus] in medios hostes nocte silente venit. Nudarant gladios: 'Occidite' dixit 'inermem: Hoc cupiant fratres Tarquiniusque pater, qui mea crudeli laceravit verbere terga' (dicere ut hoc posset, verbera passus erat). "
  11. ↑ Liv. I, 54, 1: “Inde in consilia publica adhiberi. [...] ipse identidem belli auctor esse [...]. "; 54, 4: "Apud milites vero obeundo pericula ac labores pariter, praedam munifice largiendo tanta caritate esse ut non pater Tarquinius potentior Romae quam filius Gabiis esset."; 54, 5-10: "Itaque [...] tum ex suis unum sciscitatum Romam ad patrem mittit quidnam se facere vellet, [...]. Huic nuntio, [...] nihil voce responsum est; rex velut deliberabundus in hortum aedium transit sequente nuntio filii; ibi inambulans tacitus summa papauerum capita dicitur baculo decussisse. [...] Sexto ubi quid vellet parens quidue praeciperet tacitis ambagibus patuit, primores civitatis criminando alios apud populum, alios sua ipsos inuidia opportunos interemit. [...] et dulcedine priuati commodi sensus malorum publicorum adimi, donec orba consilio auxilioque Gabina res regi Romano sine ulla dimicatione in manum traditur. ”And Ov. nearly. II, 701-710: “Iamque potens misso genitorem appellat amico, perdendi Gabios quod sibi monstret iter. Hortus odoratis suberat cultissimus herbis, sectus humum rivo lene sonantis aquae: Illic Tarquinius mandata latentia nati accipit, et virga lilia summa metit. Nuncio ut rediit decussaque lilia dixit, filius 'Agnosco iussa parentis' ait. Nec mora, principibus caesis ex urbe Gabina, traduntur ducibus moenia nuda suis. "
  12. ↑ Liv. I, 57, 5-8: "[...]; regii quidem iuvenes interdum otium conuiuiis comisationibusque inter se terebant. [...] incidit de uxoribus mentio. Suam quisque laudare miris modis [...] citatis equis auolant Romam. "
  13. ↑ Liv. I, 57, 9-11: "[...] ubi Lucretiam haudquaquam ut regias nurus, quas in conuiuio luxuque cum aequalibus viderant tempus terentes sed nocte sera deditam lanae inter lucubrantes ancillas in medio aedium sedentem inveniunt. Muliebris certaminis laus penes Lucretiam fuit. [...] Ibi Sex. Tarquinium mala libido Lucretiae per vim stuprandae capit; [...]. "
  14. ↑ Liv. I, 58, 1-5: “Paucis interiectis diebus sex. Tarquinius inscio Collatino cum comite uno Collatiam venit. [...] amore ardens [...] stricto gladio ad dormientem Lucretiam venit [...] tum Tarquinius fateri amorem, orare, miscere precibus minas, versare in omnes partes muliebrem animum. [...] cum mortua iugulatum seruum nudum positurum ait, ut in sordido adulterio necata dicatur. "
  15. ↑ Liv. I, 58, 6 to 59, 2: “Lucretiam sedentem maestam in cubiculo inveniunt. Aduentu suorum lacrimae obortae [...]. Dant ordine omnes fidem; consolantur aegram animi avertendo noxam ab coacta in auctorem delicti [...]. Cultrum, quem sub veste abditum habebat, eum in corde defigit, prolapsaque in volnus moribunda cecidit. Conclamat vir paterque. [...] 'Per hunc' inquit 'castissimum ante regiam iniuriam sanguinem iuro, vosque, di, testes facio me L. Tarquinium Superbum cum scelerata coniuge et omni liberorum stirpe ferro igni quacumque dehinc vi possim exsecuturum, nec illos nec alium quemquam regnare Romae passurum. ' Cultrum deinde Collatino tradit, inde Lucretio ac Valerio [...]. "
  16. ↑ Liv. I, 59, 4: "[...] tum Brutus castigator lacrimarum atque inertium querellarum auctorque quod viros, quod Romanos deceret, arma capiendi adversus hostilia ausos. Ferocissimus quisque iuvenum cum armis voluntarius adest [...] “; I, 60, 2: “Sex. Tarquinius Gabios tamquam in suum regnum profectus from ultoribus veterum simultatium, quas sibi ipse caedibus rapinisque concierat, est interfectus. "
  17. ↑ Dion. Hal. ant. IV, 64, 2: "At this time Sextus, the eldest son of Tarquinius, being sent by his father to a city called Collatia to perform certain military services, lodged at the house of his kinsman, Lucius Tarquinius, surnamed Collatinus."; IV, 64, 4: “Now it happened that Collatinus was then at the camp, but his wife, who was a Roman woman, the daughter of Lucretius, a man of distinction, entertained him, as a kinsman of her husband, with great cordiality and friendliness. This matron, who excelled all the Roman women in beauty as well as in virtue, Sextus tried to seduce; he had already long entertained this desire, whenever he visited his kinsman, and he thought he now had a favorable opportunity. "
  18. ↑ Dion. Hal. ant. IV, 64, 5-66, 1: "[...] he went into the room sword in hand. [...] Having terrified the woman in this manner, he offered her two alternatives, bidding her choose whichever she herself preferred - death with dishonor or life with happiness. [...] will state that I had caught you misbehaving with the slave and punished you to avenge the dishonor of my kinsman; [...] Lucretia [...] was forced to yield and to allow him to accomplish his desire. [...] Sextus, having gratified his wicked and baneful passion, returned to the camp. "
  19. ↑ Dion. Hal. ant. IV, 67, 1-4: "When, in response to his hasty and urgent summons, the most prominent men had come to his house as she desired, she began at the beginning and told them all that had happened. [...] she drew the dagger she was keeping concealed under her robes, and plunging it into her breast, with a single stroke pierced her heart. [...] There was among them a certain man, named Publius Valerius [...] This man was sent by them to the camp both to acquaint the husband of Lucretia with what had happened and with his aid to bring about a revolt of the army from the tyrants. He was no sooner outside the gates than he chanced to meet Collatinus, who was coming to the city from the camp and knew nothing of the misfortunes that had befallen his household. And with him came Lucius Junius, surnamed Brutus [...]. "; IV, 71, 1: “Having said this, he called upon all the rest also to take the same oath; and they, no longer hesitating, rose up, and receiving the dagger from one another, swore. "
  20. ↑ Bleicken: The Constitution of the Roman Republic , pp. 45, 53, 100.
  21. ^ Prayon: The Etruscans , p. 53.
  22. ↑ Bleicken: The Constitution of the Roman Republic , p. 53. The traditional aversion to kingship and the associated fear of someone leaving the aristocratic community can also be found in Cic. rep. I, 62: “(Scipio) 'Quid? Tu non vides unius inportunitate et superbia Tarquinii nomen huic populo in odium venisse regium? ' (Laelius) 'Video vero' inquit. "
  23. ↑ See also Walther, pp. 122–129.
personal data
SURNAME Tarquinius, Sextus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince and son of the last king of Rome
DATE OF BIRTH 6th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 6th century BC BC or 5th century BC Chr.