The marriage of Regilla and Herodes epitomized wealth, social class, prestige and status in Ancient Rome. Regilla was born into a wealthy family with high social connections, while her husband was a man of letter, who acquired a fortune upon the passing of his father, and well-connected in the imperial courts. Regilla’s lineage went back to prominent figures of Rome and Herodes traced his origin from “legendary kings, heroes and mythological figures of Athens.” By the time Herodes wedded Regilla he had already reached the pinnacle of his career, having served in the city of government and received an appointment from the imperial court. The arrangement of the marriage that bought these individuals together was unusual in ancient Rome given the status of Regilla’s family and having a daughter marry a foreigner from a conquered land. Although Herodes was born in Greece, he was a different type of foreign man, having spent most of his life in Rome and was part of the same social circle as Regilla’s family. Regilla’s family wealth might have been well below that of Herodes, but they were powerful among of the people of Rome. Herodes sought to integrate himself in such a class of …show more content…
Thecircumstantial evidence surrounding the murder is scanty. Some evidence suggests that Herodes might have directed the murder out of fear that Regilla would give birth to another son whose intellectual capability might not have met his standards. On the other hand, Herodes needed another son whom he could groom to inherit his wealth and to continue his legacy. It is likely Regilla could have given birth to a great son, the heir Herodes had been looking for in his trophimoi. Further, it is plausible that Herodes conspired with his freedman to murder Regilla under the assumption she would give birth to another “inadequate
The accounts of Agrippina’s death, as narrated by Tacitus and Suetonius, take on an almost farcical tone, but eventually, according to the sources, Nero successfully killed Agrippina. Before her death, Agrippina wrote an account of her life and career, becoming the first known woman author in Roman history, as she was the only woman on record to have published her memoirs. (Wood, 481) She was also the first imperial woman to bear the title Augusta during her husband’s lifetime.
Herod the Great killed thousands of innocent young boys because of jealousy and
Introduction. Greek mythological heroes, and Roman mythological heroes share similar trades, however are different in many ways. These similarities and differences can be identified when looking at the means for the creation of a hero, and a hero’s life. This essay will discuse the similarities and differences in Roman and Greek heroes by anylysing the primary and secondary sources they feuture in respectively. Firstly will context be given, secondly the secondary sources in which the heroes feature, and lastly the spefic Greek and Roman hero will be compared.
The stele of Theognis suggests people should recover their family connections and maintain good connections with relatives even if they are deceased. The gravestone also shows women had stronger connections with each other than with men. This principle remained in “mother-son” and “brother-sister” relations. Roman gravestone does not provide such insights in the family’s daily routine. It suggests people were more focused on their appearance, as they wanted to show they are not slaves already.
The independent development of history as a record of the past, a method for self-definition, and a means for virtue politics was invented by two historians from two sharply different cultures: Sima Qian from China and Herodotus from Greece. Interestingly, they are both interested in frontier regions, the local people there, and their customs. Through their discussions of the Chinese/non-Chinese, Greeks/non-Greeks, we can acquire some insights into ancient history. There are two things that Sima Qian’s Shiji and Herodotus’s histories have in common: a strong interest in frontier regions and foreign people and a great amount of knowledge about them; also, an attempt to understand “others” by understanding the the context of their culture and
Livia and Augustus and William and Mary—ruling couples whose dynasties are separated by more than one thousand years and one thousand miles. Despite the time separating these two rulers, there are many similarities in the power dynamics of their relationship that unite them. Scholarly work has tended to focus on either the role each partner had in the ruling or how the two partners worked together. It is the purpose of this paper to compare and contrast the role each woman had in the operations of the government and how each woman was used as a tool for propagandistic purposes, focusing on how both influenced clemency, elevated their status beyond that of what was expected for an upper-class woman, their involvement in the religious life of
The Mediterranean area is recognised for its long history and powerful civilizations. Greece and Rome are illustrations of these civilizations. These two civilizations had significant impacts on Western culture's evolution, especially in the domains of literature, philosophy, and economics. The two civilizations were crucial in influencing the evolution of their own cultures and leaving a lasting impact. The research will focus on significant historical people and their contributions to both civilizations.
It is very interesting how Plutarch describes the different groups of women and their leadership roles within different groups in his 19th book of the Moralia. This compilation of essays and speeches analyzed and written by Plutarch named “Moralia”, grant insights into different aspects of Greek and Roman life and observations that have served us all throughout history. Indeed, ancient writers and philosophers did not quite flatter women as much as he did, making him one of the few and most important “women’s defenders” of the era, being considered by some as a “feminist” at certain times. The following is an extensive comparison and contrast between an interview made to a young adult female and the qualities of Plutarch 's Virtues of Women,
This paper will discuss the well-published work of, Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1975. Print. Sarah B. Pomeroy uses this book to educate others about the role women have played throughout ancient history. Pomeroy uses a timeline to go through each role, starting with mythological women, who were called Goddesses.
With these moral structures set in place, the characteristics of an ideal Roman woman and the reality of the power distribution in relationships, with outcomes extremely unfavorable towards women having power took shape. While not explicitly discussed, the ideas for ideal women and “correct” behavior in a relationship can be seen in literature. Two pieces of literature that are especially illuminating are Ars Amatoria, or “The Art of Love”, and the Heroides, or “The Heroines”, by Ovid during the reign of Augustus. To put it in context, this was the time of transition between Republic and Principate, when Rome was finding stability as it shifted to a new balance of power within the government. This began the time when familial power was starting
According to the website Livius.org there is not much information about Herodotus life, but in his writing in the book The Histories he gives some indications on which he described in the prologue that he was born in Halicarnassus in the year 485 B.C. approximately. Halicarnassus was a lively commercial center on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor, not far from the Herodotus native city was the island Samos, where is said that Herodotus lived for several years the same as in Athens. The History.com expresses how he was raised in an affluent and culture Greek-Carian merchant family, The author Jennifer Roberts in her book “ HERODOTUS A Very Short Introductions” proclaims that there was reports that the name of Herodotus father was Lyxes and the name of his mother was Dryo or Rhoio and there was another relative that was a writer, a poet of the name of Panyassis to whom some readers praise for being a second to the famous poet Homer, author of the Iliad and The Odyssey. The family of Herodotus disagrees with the laws that Lygdamis establish and for that they were spelt to the island of Samos. Herodotus was never in accord with the Lygdamis government and for that as a young man he went back to Halicarnassus to be a part of the anti-Persian rebellion for a short period of time
In addition to being Herod’s secretary and close friend, he was also the tutor to the children of Cleopatra VII and Marcus Aurelius and he worked closely with Augustus Caesar. Nicolaus wrote a biography about Herod, called A Life Of Herod. Today only chunks of this book are recovered. This book contains information and facts that comes directly from Herod himself. Herod could have tampered with the information so that he would be portrayed as a better leader and person.
1997:137). Halicarnassus was a Greek settlement in Caria that soon became under Persian domination. He was the son of Lyxes and Dryo and they were one of the leading families there. Coming from such a well-off family, Herodotus had the opportunity to receive the best education that was available to
A marriage needed the support of two families, and as such, it must offer something of value to both sides. Those who are poor and at the bottom of the class ladder had little and expected even less so it is unlikely that they arranged marriages with the needs of the parents in mind, but the aristocrats and the upper classes did, and young girls were in no position to fight their parents even on something as important as the choice of a marriage partner. Over the years, there was an increase in women’s economic power and in their status in society, but a father’s right both in theory and in practice to choose at least the first husband of a daughter remained constant throughout the Republic and the Empire. Unlike mating which was polygamous, marriage in ancient Rome was monogamous in which a
Herodotus was born in Halicarnassus, Caria (modern day Bodrum, Turkey) and lived in the fifth century BC. Lived from 484 BC and died around 425 BC. He was a Greek historian known as "Father of History. " Prior to the Greeks there was no real recording of history, rather it was only collections of stories passed down orally from one generation to another.