Caesaris Augusti: Res Gestae et Fragmenta

Notes on FRAGMENTA

NOTES ON FRAGMENTA i Scribonia: related by marriage to Sextus Pompeius. She was married in 40 to Octavian, who was her third husband. He had been previously married to Clodia (Claudia), daughter of P. Clodius Pulcher and Fulvia, in 43, but he dismissed her in 41 without having consummated the marriage. He divorced Scribonia in 39, shortly after the birth of their daughter, Julia. Scribonia accompanied Julia into exile in 2 B.C., and we hear of her as late as A.D. 16. 2 Tiberio: Livia's son and later Augustus' adopted son, the future emperor Tiberius. His full name was Tiberius Claudius Nero. mandasti: shortened form for mandavisti. nepoti tuo Tiberio: dative of reference, not of agent. This is the future emperor Claudius, who was considered mentally deficient by his family. He was the younger son of Drusus, the younger brother of Tiberius . See Genealogical Table V. ludis Martialibus: these games were celebrated in connection with the dedication of the Temple of Mars Ultor, on August 1, 2B.C. nostrum: partitive genitive, the plural of ego. in illo: "in his case." si est artius . . . holocleros: the meaning is "if he has all his senses." ut ita die-am: "so to speak." quid est quod: "what reason is there that." quin: introduces the clause after a negative or interrogative verb of doubt. frater: Germanicus. 63 :: : 64 Notes on FRAGMENTA Pepxdifr&cu: educated Romans were bilingual. The use of Greek words and phrases by the Romans corresponds to the once-popular use of French words and expressions by the English. The Greek infinitive serves as the verb of an indirect statement in place of a Latin infinitive. est: with praebenda. hominibus: dative of indirect object, not agent.£iu>ft6(Ji,v: a participle in the dative plural, agreeing with hominibus . TrpovTroKei|xevoTj: the Greek genitive absolute substitutes for the Latin ablative absolute. arbitremur: verb of an alternative indirect question, with the introductory word, utrum or an, omitted: "whether . . . or not" (necne). eum: subject of posse. In praesentia: "with regard to the present matters." consulis: verb. Silvani filio: probably M. Plautius Silvanus, praetor in A.D. 24, the son of M. Plautius Silvanus, consul in 2 B.C., the year of the letter. circenses: chariot races in the Circus Maximus. fronte prima: "the forefront," "the first row." Albanum montem: modern Monte Cavo, principal peak of the Alban hills to the south of Rome. On this mount was a temple of Jupiter to which a procession was made on the occasion of the Latin festival, which was held annually but not at a fixed date. Latinarum: sc. feriarum, the Latin Festival. praeficitur urbi: "put in charge of the city"; in other words, serve as praefectus urbi, deputy to Augustus,a post necessary during the Latin Festival since the emperor and the consuls would all be absent from Rome. setnel de tota re: "once for all." Antoniae: the mother of Claudius, younger daughter of Marcus Antonius and Octavia, Augustus' sister. 3 Tiberium: Claudius. Sulpicio: perhaps Sulpicius Flavus, who tutored Claudius in historical composition. Athenodoro: this man may be the Stoic philosopher from Tarsus. Qui vellem . . . deligeret: "I wish that he chose"; the subjunctive Notes on FRAGMENTA 65 without ut is normal after the forms velim, malim, vellem, and mallem; the qui, whose antecedent is Tiberium, is subject of deligeret. imitaretur: subjunctive in a relative clause of purpose. aberravit: the perfect is sometimes used to express a general truth. 4 Tiberium: Claudius. peream: subjunctive of wish (volitive or optative). qui: relative pronoun. loquatur: attracted into the subjunctive by possit. loquatur . . . declamat: the contrast is between normal speech and formal oratory. Obviously, in the latter case, Claudius was prepared and perhaps used notes. qui: "how," introducing an indirect question depending on video. aa9ws: adverb depending upon dicere. 5 fisco: either a dative or ablative of separation. "Thefiscus was the imperial treasury, into which the revenues from the imperial provinces flowed, while the aerarium was the senatorial treasury. 6 aliter . . . quam si: "otherwise than if" = "unless." dabo: sc. civitatem, as also with petendi. quam: adverb meaning "how," introducing an indirect question. 7 Tiberi: Livia's son and Augustus' adopted son; the future emperor Tiberius. isdem: "the usual crowd." Vinicius: probably Lucius Vinicius, who was triumvir monetalis in 16 B.C.and suffect consul in 5B.C. Silius pater: "the elder Silius." Publius Silius Nerva, consul in 20 B.C., was governor of Hispania Citerior and of...