Download
1 / 8
E N D
Cornelius Nepos (c. 100 – 25 B.C.), like the poets Catullus and Virgil and the historian Livy, was born near Verona in Cisalpine Gaul, i.e. the Po Valley, which until 42 B.C. was not legally part of Italy but a separate province. He took no part in politics but lived on his own estate concentrating on his writing. His universal history (Chronica) and a life of his friend Cicero have been lost but we still have 24 of his biographies, including the `Life of Aristides.’
The poet Catullus’ dedication of his volume of poems to Cornelius Nepos, who was a personal friend. The papyrus rolls referred to are the three volumes of the author’s Chronica, which was highly thought of by contemporaries but has not survived. Cui dono lepidum novum libellum to whom do I dedicate this new, charming little bookarida modo pumice expolitum?just now polished with a dry pumice stone? Corneli, tibi: namque tu solebasto you , Cornelius, for you were accustomed meas esse aliquid putare nugas.to think my nonsense was something Iam tum, cum ausus es unus Italorumthen already when you alone of Italians dared omne aevum tribus explicare cartis, to explain every age in three papyrus rolls doctis, Iuppiter, et laboriosis! learned, Jupiter, and full of labour.
At the time of the great conflict with Persia, Greece was divided into many small city states, of which the most important were Athens and Sparta. Aristides (c.525-468 B.C.) was born into an aristocratic Athenian family but pursued his career after the city had become a democracy in the last years of the 6th century.
In 499 B.C. the Greek cities of Ionia (the western coastal region of Asia Minor), many of which were believed to have originally been Athenian colonies, revolted against the Persian Empire and were supported by Athens The revolt was eventually suppressed and the Persian king, Darius, vowed he would punish the Athenians..
In 490 B.C. a Persian force landed at Marathon, north-east of Athens. An Athenian messenger ran to Sparta to seek help but the Spartans did not set off immediately. The messenger himself ran back to Athens in time to fight in the battle, in which the Athenians, with Aristides one of the generals, defeated the invaders. He then supposedly ran back to the city – a distance of 27 miles – announced the victory and immediately fell dead from exhaustion. His final run is commemorated still in the marathon event of modern athletics.
During the 480s Athenian politics was dominated by rivalry between Aristides and Themistocles (c. 515 – 459 B.C. , a man of humbler birth. Aristides aligned himself with the aristocracy and the richer citizens, who formed the core of the Athenian army. Themistocles argued for a military strategy putting more emphasis on naval strength, which as well as providing a counter to the Persian fleet would give a greater role to the ordinary citizens who manned the ships.
When a new deposit of silver was found at Laurium in SE Attica (the region controlled by Athens), Aristides argued for the proceeds to be divided between the ciitzens but Themistocles successfully persuaded the assembly to use it instead for the construction of new ships.
