Curiatius Maternus () appears in the ''

Dialogus de oratoribus The ''Dialogus de oratoribus'' is a short work attributed to Tacitus, in dialogue form, on the art of rhetoric. Its date of composition is unknown, though its dedication to Lucius Fabius Justus places its publication around 102 AD. Summary The ...

'' (Dialogue on orators) of

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

. He was an author of tragedies in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, having composed a ''Domitius'', a ''Medea'', and a ''Cato'' by AD 74 or 75. He may be identified with the

sophist A sophist ( el, σοφιστής, sophistes) was a teacher in ancient Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Sophists specialized in one or more subject areas, such as philosophy, rhetoric, music, athletics, and mathematics. They taught ' ...

Maternus who was put to death by

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

for speaking against tyrants in a practice speech, or with either

Marcus Cornelius Nigrinus Curiatius Maternus Marcus Cornelius Nigrinus Curiatius Maternus was a Roman senator and general during the reign of Domitian. He was suffect consul during the '' nundinium'' of September to October AD 83 with Lucius Calventius Sextius Carminius Vetus. Although some ...

suffect consul in 83 himself, or his adoptive father.

References

, ''

'' * Dio Cassius, ''Roman History'
67.12.5
*

Tenney Frank Tenney Frank (May 19, 1876 – April 3, 1939) was a prominent American ancient historian and classical scholar. He studied many aspects of Ancient Rome, for instance its economy, imperialism, demographics and epigraphy. Biography Tenney Frank earn ...

. "Curiatius Maternus and His Tragedies," ''AJP'' 58 (1937) 225–229. * Mario Erasmo. ''Roman Tragedy: Theatre to Theatricality. (University of Texas Press, 2004). {{DEFAULTSORT:Maternus, Curiatius Ancient Roman tragic dramatists Ancient Roman rhetoricians 1st-century Romans Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 1st-century writers Curiatii