Macrobius
Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. c. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during
Name
Macrobius's
Life
Little is known for certain about Macrobius, but there are many theories and speculations about him. He states at the beginning of his Saturnalia that he was "born under a foreign sky" (sub alio ortus caelo), and both of his major works are dedicated to his son, Eustachius.
Which "foreign sky" Macrobius was born under has been the subject of much speculation.
Scholars have attempted to identify him with a Macrobius who is mentioned in the
However, since Macrobius is frequently referred to as vir clarissimus et inlustris, a title which was achieved by holding public office, we can reasonably expect his name to appear in the Codex Theodosianus. Further, Cameron points out that during his lifetime Macrobius was referred to as "Theodosius", and looking for that name Cameron found a Theodosius who was
Works
Commentary on the "Dream of Scipio"
Macrobius's most influential book and one of the most widely cited books of the Middle Ages was a
See editions by Ludwig von Jan (1848–1852, with a bibliography of previous editions, and commentary),
Saturnalia
Macrobius's Saturnalia (
Editions and translations
- Robert A. Kaster (ed.), Macrobius: Saturnalia. Loeb classical library 510–512. Cambridge, MA/ London: Harvard University Press, 2011. 3 volumes.
- Percival Vaughan Davies (trans.), Macrobius: The Saturnalia. New York: Columbia University Press, 1969.
- William Harris Stahl (trans.), Macrobius: Commentary on the Dream of Scipio. New York: Columbia University Press, 1952. (Second printing, with revisions, 1966)
- Macrobius, Ambrosius Aurelius Theodosius (1400s). Seven Books of the Saturnalia: Codex from the Plutei Collection of the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence (in Latin). World Digital Library. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
Legacy
A prominent lunar crater is named after Macrobius.[8]
Macrobius Cove in Antarctica is named after Macrobius.
Gallery
Cicero's Dream of Scipio described the Earth as a globe of insignificant size in comparison to the remainder of the cosmos.[9] Many early medieval manuscripts of Macrobius include maps of the Earth, including the antipodes, zonal maps showing the Ptolemaic climates derived from the concept of a spherical Earth and a diagram showing the Earth (labeled as globus terrae, the sphere of the Earth) at the center of the hierarchically ordered planetary spheres.[10]
Images from a 12th-century manuscript of Macrobius's Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis (Parchment, 50 ff.; 23.9 × 14 cm; Southern France). Date: ca. 1150. Source: Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Bibliotek, ms. NKS 218 4°.
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Initial E shaped in the form of a writing man, probably representing Macrobius himself.
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The Universe, the Earth in the centre, surrounded by the classical planets, including the sun and the moon, within the zodiacal signs.
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The five climes of the Earth. Frozen climes in yellow; Temperate climes in blue; Torrid clime in red.
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Diagram showing a lunar eclipse.
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Diagram showing a solar eclipse.
See also
- Allegory in the Middle Ages
- Early world maps
- Mappa mundi
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ JSTOR 300131.
- ^ William Harris Stahl, Macrobius: Commentary on the Dream of Scipio (New York: Columbia University, 1952), pp. 4f
- ^ Codex Theodosianus XIV.10.15, VIII.5.61, XI.28.6
- ^ Codex Theodosianus VI.8.1
- ^ a b public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Macrobius, Ambrosius Theodosius". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 269. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ISBN 978-0-387-30400-7.
- ^ "Seven Books of the Saturnalia". World Digital Library. 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
- ^ International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature. "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2013-07-17.
- ^ Macrobius, Commentary on the Dream of Scipio, transl. W. H. Stahl, (New York: Columbia Univ. Pr., 1952), chaps. v-vii, (pp. 200-212).
- ^ B. Eastwood and G. Graßhoff, Planetary Diagrams for Roman Astronomy in Medieval Europe, ca. 800-1500, Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 94, 3 (Philadelphia, 2004), pp. 49-50.
Bibliography
- Brigitte Englisch: Die Artes liberales im frühen Mittelalter (5.–9. Jahrhundert). Das Quadrivium und der Komputus als Indikatoren für Kontinuität und Erneuerung der exakten Wissenschaften zwischen Antike und Mittelalter. Steiner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-515-06431-1
- Frateantonio, C., "Praetextatus – Verteidiger des römischen Glaubens? Zur gesellschaftlichen (Neu-)Inszenierung römischer Religion in Macrobius' Saturnalien," Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum, 11,2 (2007), 360–377.
- Kaster, R. (ed), Studies on the Text of Macrobius's 'Saturnalia' (New York, 2010) (American Philological Association. American Classical Studies, 55).
- Cameron, A., The Last Pagans of Rome (Oxford, 2011).
External links
- Latin Wikisource has original text related to this article: Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius
- Macrobius: The Saturnalia, the Latin text of the critical edition edited by Ludwig von Jan (Gottfried Bass; Quedlinburg and Leipzig, 1852), web edition by Bill Thayer.
- Opera quae supersunt, 2 voll., Quedlinburgi et Lipsiae, typis et sumptibus Godofredi Bassii, 1848-52: vol. 1, vol. 2.
- Iohannis (Scoti) defloratio de Macrobio[permanent dead link], a paraphrase of Macrobius' De uerborum Graeci et Latini differentiis uel societatibus. Also as Excerpta parisina in Grammatici latini, vol. 5, Lipsiae, in aedibus B. G. Teubneri, 1923, pagg. 599-629.
- Macrobii excerpta Bobiensa[permanent dead link], some extracts from Macrobius' De uerborum Graeci et Latini differentiis uel societatibus. Also as Excerpta bobiensa in Grammatici latini, vol. 5, cit., pagg. 631-55.
- Bibliography on Macrobius' grammatical work[permanent dead link]