Gaius Petronius Arbiter
["Gaius Petronius Arbiter"]
Britannica.com. (; ; c. AD 27 – 66; sometimes Titus Petronius Niger)
[ was a ]Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
courtier
A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...
during the reign of Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
. He is generally believed to be the author of the ''Satyricon
The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petr ...
'', a satirical novel
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
believed to have been written during the Neronian era (54–68 AD). He is one of the most important characters in Henryk Sienkiewicz
Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...
' historical novel Quo Vadis
''Quō vādis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?". It is also commonly translated as "Where are you going?" or, poetically, "Whither goest thou?"
The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Pete ...
, published in 1895. Leo Genn
Leopold John Genn (9 August 190526 January 1978) was an English actor and barrister. Distinguished by his relaxed charm and smooth, "black velvet" voice, he had a lengthy career in theatre, film, television, and radio; often playing aristocr ...
portrays him in the 1951 film by the same name adapted from the novel.
Life
A reference to Petronius by Sidonius Apollinaris
Gaius Sollius Modestus Apollinaris Sidonius, better known as Sidonius Apollinaris (5 November of an unknown year, 430 – 481/490 AD), was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from 5th-century Gaul ...
places him and/or his ''Satyricon
The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petr ...
'' in Massalia
Massalia (Greek: Μασσαλία; Latin: Massilia; modern Marseille) was an ancient Greek colony founded ca. 600 BC on the Mediterranean coast of present-day France, east of the river Rhône, by Ionian Greek settlers from Phocaea, in Western An ...
(ancient Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
). He might have been born and educated there. Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars.
The surviving portions of his t ...
, Plutarch
Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...
and Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
describe Petronius as the ''elegantiae arbiter'' (also phrased ''arbiter elegantiarum''), "judge of elegance", in the court of the emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
. He served as suffect consul in 62. Later, he became a member of the senatorial class
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
who devoted himself to a life of pleasure. His relationship to Nero was apparently akin to that of a fashion advisor.
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars.
The surviving portions of his t ...
gives this account of Petronius in his historical work the ''Annals
Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record.
Scope
The nature of the distinction between ann ...
'' (XVI.18):
None of the ancient sources give any further detail about his life, or mention that he was a writer. However, a medieval manuscript written around 1450 of the ''Satyricon'' credited a "Titus Petronius" as the author of the original work. Traditionally, this reference is linked with Petronius Arbiter, since the novel appears to have been written or at least set during his lifetime. The link, however, remains speculative and disputed.
As a writer
Petronius' development of his characters in the ''Satyricon
The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petr ...
'', namely Trimalchio
Trimalchio is a character in the 1st-century AD Roman work of fiction '' Satyricon'' by Petronius. He features as the ostentatious, nouveau-riche host in the section titled the "Cēna Trīmalchiōnis" (The Banquet of Trimalchio, often translated a ...
, transcends the traditional style of writing of ancient literature. In the literature written during Petronius' lifetime, the emphasis was always on the typical considerations of plot, which had been laid down by classical rules. The character, which was hardly known in ancient literature, was secondary. Petronius goes beyond these literary limitations in his exact portrayals of detailed speech, behaviour, surroundings, and appearance of the characters.
Another literary device Petronius employs in his novel is a collection of specific allusion
Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...
s. The allusions to certain people and events are evidence that the ''Satyricon'' was written during Nero's time. These also suggest that it was aimed at a contemporary audience which consisted in part of Nero's courtiers and even Nero himself.
One such allusion, found in chapter 9, refers to the story of the good wife Lucretia
According to Roman tradition, Lucretia ( /luːˈkriːʃə/ ''loo-KREE-shə'', Classical Latin: ʊˈkreːtɪ.a died c. 510 BC), anglicized as Lucrece, was a noblewoman in ancient Rome, whose rape by Sextus Tarquinius (Tarquin) and subseq ...
which was well known at the time:
The message Petronius tries to convey in his work is far from moral and does not intend to produce reform, but is written above all to entertain and should be considered artistically. Nevertheless, his writings can be a valuable tool to better comprehend the customs and ways of life of Roman society at that particular time, since the author strives to preserve the plausibility of his representation, as can be noted by the frequent use of allusions and detailed descriptions of characters and behaviours. As the title implies, the ''Satyricon'' is a satire, specifically a Menippean satire
The genre of Menippean satire is a form of satire, usually in prose, that is characterized by attacking mental attitudes rather than specific individuals or entities. It has been broadly described as a mixture of allegory, picaresque narrative, and ...
, in which Petronius satirizes nearly anything, using his taste as the only standard. It is speculated that Petronius' depiction of Trimalchio mirrors that of Nero. Although the author's own opinion is never alluded to, the opinions of the characters involved in the story are evident, as is how Encolpius criticizes Trimalchio.
Death
Petronius' high position soon made him the object of envy for those around him. Having attracted the jealousy of Tigellinus
Ofonius Tigellinus (c. 10 – 69) was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, from 62 until 68, during the reign of emperor Nero. Tigellinus gained imperial favour through his acquaintance wit ...
, the commander of the emperor's guard, he was accused of treason. He was arrested at Cumae
Cumae ( grc, Κύμη, (Kumē) or or ; it, Cuma) was the first ancient Greek colony on the mainland of Italy, founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BC and soon becoming one of the strongest colonies. It later became a rich Ro ...
in 65 AD but did not wait for a sentence. Instead, he chose to take his own life. Tacitus again records his elegant suicide in the sixteenth book of the ''Annals'':
According to Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
: "T. Petronius, a consular, when he was going to die through Nero's jealousy and envy, broke his fluorspar wine-dipper so that the emperor's table would not inherit it. It had cost 300,000 sesterce
The ''sestertius'' (plural ''sestertii''), or sesterce (plural sesterces), was an ancient Roman coin. During the Roman Republic it was a small, silver coin issued only on rare occasions. During the Roman Empire it was a large brass coin.
The na ...
s". T. Petronius and G. Petronius have been said to have been the same man.
See also
* Asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
3244 Petronius, named after the satirist
* Glossarium Eroticum
* Supplements to the ''Satyricon''
Notes
Further reading
* Breitenstein, Natalie, ''Petronius, Satyrica 1–15. Text, Übersetzung, Kommentar'' (2009. Berlin – New York: De Gruyter) (Texte und Kommentare, 32).
* Conte, Gian Biagio, ''The Hidden Author: An Interpretation of Petronius' Satyricon'' (1997. Berkeley: University of California Press).
* Connors, Catherine, ''Petronius the Poet: Verse and Literary Tradition in the Satyricon'' (1998. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
* Habermehl, Peter, ''Petronius, Satyrica 79–141. Ein philologisch–literarischer Kommentar. Band I: Satyrica 79–110''. Berlin: de Gruyter. 2006.
* Habermehl, Peter, ''Petronius, Satyrica 79–141. Ein philologisch–literarischer Kommentar. Band II: Satyrica 111–118''. Berlin: de Gruyter. 2020.
* Habermehl, Peter, ''Petronius, Satyrica 79–141. Ein philologisch–literarischer Kommentar. Band III: Bellum civile (Sat. 119–124)''. Berlin: de Gruyter. 2021.
* Jensson, Gottskalk, ''The Recollections of Encolpius. The Satyrica of Petronius as Milesian Fiction'' (2004. Groningen: Barkhuis Publishing and Groningen University Library) (Ancient narrative Suppl. 2).
* Prag, Jonathan and Ian Repath (eds), ''Petronius: A Handbook'' (2009. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell).
* Reeve, Michael D. 1983. Petronius. In ''Texts and Transmission: A Survey of the Latin Classics''. Edited by Leighton D. Reynolds, 295–300. Oxford: Clarendon.
* Repath, Ian. 2010. "Plato in Petronius: Petronius in Platanona". ''The Classical Quarterly,'' 60(2), new series, 577–595.
* Rose, Kenneth F. C. 1971. "The Date and Author of the Satyricon". ''Mnemosyne, Bibliotheca Classica Batava'', Supplementum 16. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill.
* Schmeling, Gareth. 2011. ''A Commentary on the Satyrica of Petronius''. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
* Slater, Niall W. 1990. ''Reading Petronius''. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Sullivan, John P. 1985. "Petronius' Satyricon and its Neronian Context". In ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neuren Forschung'', Vol. II, Part 32.3. Edited by Hildegard Temporini and Wolfgang Haase, 1666–1686. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
* Vannini, Giulio, ''Petronius 1975–2005: bilancio critico e nuove proposte'' (2007. Goettingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht) (Lustrum, 49).
* Vannini, Giulio, ''Petronii Arbitri Satyricon 100–115. Edizione critica e commento'' (2010. Berlin – New York: De Gruyter) (Beiträge zur Altertumskunde, 281).
External links
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*
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Works by Petronius at Perseus Digital Library
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of the ''Satyricon'' fro
The Latin Library
''Petronii satirae'' et ''liber priapeorum''
iterum edidit Franciscus Buecheler, adiectae sunt Varronis et Senecae satirae similesque reliquiae, Berolini apud Weidmannos, 1871.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petronius
20s births
Year of birth uncertain
66 deaths
Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome
Ancient Romans who committed suicide
Classical Latin novelists
Roman-era poets
Silver Age Latin writers
Suicides by sharp instrument in Italy
1st-century Romans
1st-century writers
Roman-era satirists
Petronii
Ancient Massaliotes