Pythagoras was a freedman of the Roman emperor

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 ...

, whom he allegedly married in a public ceremony in which the emperor took the role of bride.Ancient History Sourcebook: Suetonius: De Vita Caesarum--Nero, c. 110 C.E.
/ref>
/ref>Champlin, 2005, p.146

Life

Little is known about Pythagoras' background except that he was a

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom ...

who accompanied Nero.

Marriage to Nero

In the year 64, during the

Saturnalia Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple ...

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 w ...

offered a series of banquets to

, after a few days of which Nero performed a marriage to Pythagoras:

Doryphorus

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographi ...

tells the story of Nero's being the bride to a freedman named "Doryphorus". Both

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 ...

and

Dio Cassius Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

mention only "Pythagoras". According to Champlin, it is improbable that a second such scandalous wedding occurred without being noted, and the simplest solution is that Suetonius mistook the name.Champlin, 2005, p.161 Doryphorus, one of the wealthiest and most powerful of Nero's freedmen, died in the year 62 before the banquets of Tigellinus, where Nero, covered with skins of wild animals, was let loose from a cage and attacked the private parts of men and women bound to stakes, after which he was dispatched by his freedman "Doryphorus".Champlin, 2005, p.169 As "doryphoros" means "spear bearer"Champlin, 2005, p.166 (''Δορυφόρος'') like the statue, it may be that the

latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, 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 ...

ized word had just capitalized the Greek word.Champlin, 2005, p.313

Bibliography

. Nero. 29 *

References

1st-century births 1st-century deaths 1st-century Romans Emperor's slaves and freedmen LGBT people from Italy Spouses of Nero Husbands of Roman emperors Ancient LGBT people {{AncientRome-bio-stub

Life

Marriage to Nero

Doryphorus

Bibliography

See also

References