Mardonius, also spelled Mardonios, was a
Roman rhetorician, philosopher and educator of
Gothic descent. Mardonius was the childhood tutor and adviser of the 4th century
Roman emperor Julian, on whom he had an immense influence.
Life
Mardonius was a
eunuch
A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...
of
Gothic origin.
He was probably a lifelong
pagan.
He grew up as a
slave
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
in the household of
Julius Julianus, who was the
praetorian prefect of
Licinius. Julianus trained him from an early age to become a scholar.
During this time Mardonius acquired extensive knowledge of
Greek poetry and philosophy. Mardonius was particularly influenced by the world of
Homer
Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
, which he contrasted with the
decadence of contemporary society.
He was the teacher of his master's daughter
Basilina
Basilina (; died 332/333) was the wife of Julius Constantius and the mother of the Roman emperor Julian (emperor), Julian (r. 361–363) who in her honour gave the name ''Basilinopolis'' to a city in Bithynia (modern Pazarköy, Bolu, Pazarköy nea ...
. In 330, Basilina would marry
Julius Constantius
Flavius Julius Constantius (died September 337 AD) was a member of the Constantinian dynasty, being a son of Emperor Constantius Chlorus and his wife Flavia Maximiana Theodora, a younger half-brother of Emperor Constantine the Great and the fath ...
, the half-brother of
Constantine the Great
Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
, who had defeated Licinius and seized control of the entire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
. The couple had one son, the later
emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Julian.
While Basilina died of natural causes, Julius Constantius was
murdered
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excu ...
after the death of Constantine the Great. Since 338, Julian lived in the household of his grandfather, with Mardonius as his tutor. Emperor
Constantius II issued an imperial
decree that Julian was not to be instructed in
ancient Greek philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC. Philosophy was used to make sense of the world using reason. It dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including astronomy, epistemology, mathematics, political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics ...
, but Mardonius ignored this order.
The seven-year-old orphan Julian and Mardonius developed a close emotional bond.
Mardonius introduced Julian to
Socrates
Socrates (; ; – 399 BC) was a Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and as among the first moral philosophers of the Ethics, ethical tradition ...
,
Plato
Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
and
Aristotle
Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
, and to the works of Homer, which Julian particularly enjoyed. Mardonius functioned not only as his academic teacher, but also as a moral tutor, the "guardian of his virtue", as the
rhetorican Libanius put it.
He took great care in bringing up Julian in accordance with his own conservative beliefs and principles, seeking to infuse the young prince with the Homeric virtue of simplicity.
Mardonius had a particular disdain for entertainment, and because of this, Julian did not attend theaters or horse races until he reached adulthood.
He also instructed Julian to walk modestly, with his eyes fixed on the ground, in contrast to the swaggery fashionable with Roman elites at the time.
It is likely that the influence of Mardonius contributed to Julian's later decision to abandon
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
.
Julian was separated from Mardonius at the age of 11, an event which he considered one of the most painful of his life.
Mardonius was one of Julian's few personal friends,
and after Julian assumed the position of emperor, became one of his advisers, frequently visiting him for dinner in
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
.
Mardonius is mentioned in several works by Julian, in particular his satire "
Misopogon" ("Beard-Hater"). In the funeral oration on Julian, Libanius mentioned the positive influence Mardonius had on his pupil.
Quotations
* "Never let the crowd of your playmates flocking to the theaters lead you astray so that you crave such spectacles. Do you long for horse races? There is one very cleverly described in Homer. Take up the book and study it!"
Quotes about Mardonius
*
ardoniusis the most responsible of all for my way of life ... Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and Theophrastus. They convinced this old man, in his folly, and later, when he found me, since I was young and a lover of literature, he convinced me in turn that if I should strive to imitate these men in every respect, I would become better, perhaps not than other men, for the contest was not with them, but better than my former self."
– Julian
* "My pedagog taught me to keep my eyes on the ground as I went to school. And I never saw a theater until I had more hair on my chin than I did on my head, and even at that age I never went of my own accord or will ..."
– Julian
* "
ardonius wasthe best of temperance"
– Libanius
* "As a mature man Julian seems to grow almost tender when recalling him, as if he were recalling the fondest remembrance of his childhood. Among so many memories of blood and outrage only that of Mardonius came to the emperor's mind like a beam of light shining in darkness, and he spoke of him with the affection which he might have employed in speaking of his mother."
–
Giuseppe Ricciotti
* "The personality of Mardonius, who left a decisive mark on Julian's character, can easily be brought to life thanks to all the details his pupil gives about him ... Through his occupation with literature, he came to discover an ideal world – one which indeed provided a substitute for everyday reality to many a more talented and fortunate contemporary. Little by little, he withdrew in the world that Homer had created, and sincerely despised all that lay without its boundaries. When Julian was entrusted to his care, Mardonius infected his pupil with this enthusiasm, while for his part Julian showed an absolute trust in his new master who, at that moment, was the only person capable of reproducing for the orphan something of the atmosphere of home life ... Himself indifferent to worldly pleasures and despising all the tawdry honours attached to social position, Mardonius took great care to shape his pupil's moral upbringing according to his own beliefs and principles. His ambition was to make the young prince able to appreciate the grandeur of simplicity."
– Polymnia Athanassiadi
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mardonius
4th-century Gothic people
4th-century Greek philosophers
4th-century Romans
4th-century philosophers
Ancient Roman eunuchs
Ancient Roman rhetoricians
Late-Roman-era pagans
Germanic pagans
Julian (emperor)
Neoplatonists
Imperial Roman slaves and freedmen
Royal tutors
Roman-era Sophists