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30-503: In the Saturnalia of Macrobius , Servius appears as one of the interlocutors; allusions in that work and a letter from Symmachus to Servius indicate that he was not a convert to Christianity. The name Servius also appears as Seruius owing to the unity of the Latin letters V and U from antiquity until as late as the 18th century. Many medieval manuscripts of Servius's commentaries give him

60-456: A praepositus (or lord chamberlain) named Macrobius in 422. A number of older authorities go so far as to identify Macrobius the author with the first, and date his floruit to 399–410. There are objections to either identification: as Alan Cameron notes, the complete name of the first candidate is attested in an inscription to be "Flavius Macrobius Maximianus", while the second is excluded because "A praepositus must at this period have been

90-642: A cognomen were awarded another exclusive name, the agnomen . For example, Publius Cornelius Scipio received the agnomen Africanus after his victory over the Carthaginian general Hannibal at Zama, Africa ( Africanus here means "of Africa" in the sense that his fame derives from Africa, rather than being born in Africa, which would have been Afer ); and the same procedure occurred in the names of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus (conqueror of Numidia) and Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus . In contrast to

120-465: 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°. Cognomina A cognomen ( Latin: [kɔŋˈnoːmɛn] ; pl. : cognomina ; from co- "together with" and (g)nomen "name") was the third name of

150-476: A certain Plotinus Eustathius was Urban prefect in 462 observes "Plotinus would be a peculiarly appropriate name for a neoplatonist philosopher and keen admirer of the great Lycopolitan (cf. Comm . I, 8, 5) to have given his son." There is also a Macrobius Plotinus Eudoxius who collaborated with Memmius Symmachus over an edition of Macrobius' Commentary . His major works have led experts to assume that he

180-416: A citizen of ancient Rome , under Roman naming conventions . Initially, it was a nickname , but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name, the nomen gentilicium (the family name , or clan name), in order to identify a particular branch within a family or family within a clan. The term has also taken on other contemporary meanings. Because of

210-485: A eunuch." 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 praetorian prefect of Italy in 430. "It

240-538: A shorthand for Marcus Tullius Cicero, and Caesar for Gaius Julius Caesar . The term "cognomen" (sometimes pluralized "cognomens") has come into use as an English noun used outside the context of Ancient Rome. According to the 2012 edition of the Random House Dictionary , cognomen can mean a "surname" or "any name, especially a nickname". The basic sense in English is "how one is well known". For example Alfred

270-508: Is a comparatively short commentary, attributed to Servius in the superscription in the manuscripts and by other internal evidence. The second class derive from the 10th and 11th centuries, embed the same text in a much expanded commentary. The copious additions are in contrasting style to the original; none of these manuscripts bears Servius' name, and the commentary is known traditionally as Servius auctus or Servius Danielis , from Pierre Daniel who first published it in 1600. "The added matter

300-460: Is significant that the only surviving law addressed to this Theodosius sanctions a privilege for Africa Proconsularis on the basis of information received concerning Byzacena ," Cameron notes. Macrobius's most influential book and one of the most widely cited books of the Middle Ages was a commentary on the book Dream of Scipio narrated by Cicero at the end of his Republic . The nature of

330-479: Is undoubtedly ancient, dating from a time but little removed from that of Servius, and is founded to a large extent on historical and antiquarian literature which is now lost. The writer is anonymous and probably a Christian", although one proposed author, Aelius Donatus , was a Christian. A third class of manuscripts, written for the most part in Italy, includes the core text with interpolated scholia , which demonstrate

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360-455: Is unrecorded as is his family name ( nomen ). His recorded name is a series of three surnames ( cognomina ), properly ordered Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius. This is what appears in the earliest surviving manuscripts of the Saturnalia and how he is addressed in the excerpts from his lost De Differentiis . He is called "Macrobius Theodosius" in both Cassiodorus and Boethius and

390-491: The Commentary . 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. Alan Cameron notes that several of the earliest manuscripts of his works spell his son's name Eustathius , then after pointing out that

420-479: The praenomen Marius or Maurus and the cognomen Honoratus . The authenticity of these names—shared by Christian saints—is now doubted. The commentary on Virgil 's Aeneid — In Vergilii Aeneidem Commentarii , In Aeneida , Commentarii in Vergilii Aeneidem , In Vergilii Aeneidos Libros I–III Commentarii , or Ad Aen. —survives in two distinct manuscript traditions. The first

450-589: The Earth as a globe of insignificant size in comparison to the remainder of the cosmos. 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. Images from

480-673: The Great . (This is more similar to the Roman use of agnomen than their use of cognomen.) Catalan cognom and Italian cognome , derived from the Latin cognomen , mean "family name". Maltese kunjom is derived from the Italian version and retains the same meaning. The term "cognomen" can also be applied to cultures with a clan structure and naming conventions comparable to those of Ancient Rome; thus, hereditary "cognomina" have been described as in use among

510-719: The Latin West during the Middle Ages; the Saturnalia , a compendium of ancient Roman religious and antiquarian lore; and De differentiis et societatibus graeci latinique verbi ("On the Differences and Similarities of the Greek and Latin Verb "), which is now lost. He is the basis for the protagonist Manlius in Iain Pears ' book The Dream of Scipio . Macrobius's given name ( praenomen )

540-621: The Sun as twice the diameter of the Earth. Of a third work On the Differences and Similarities of the Greek and Latin Verb , we possess only an abstract by a certain Johannes, doubtfully identified with Johannes Scotus Eriugena (9th century). See editions by Ludwig von Jan (1848–1852, with a bibliography of previous editions, and commentary), Franz Eyssenhardt (1893, Teubner text), James Willis (1994, new Teubner), and R. A. Kaster ( OCT and Loeb , 2011); on

570-536: The continued usefulness of the Virgilii Opera Expositio . Besides the Virgilian commentary, other works of Servius are extant: a collection of notes on the grammar ( Ars grammatica ) of Aelius Donatus; a treatise on metrical endings in verse ( De finalibus ); and a tract on the different poetic meters ( De centum metris ). The edition of Georg Thilo and Hermann Hagen (1878–1902), remains the only edition of

600-405: The dream, in which the elder Scipio appears to his (adopted) grandson and describes the life of the good after death and the constitution of the universe from a Stoic and Neo-Platonic point of view, gave occasion for Macrobius to discourse upon the nature of the cosmos , transmitting much classical philosophy to the later Middle Ages. In astronomy , this work is noted for giving the diameter of

630-533: The early fifth century, during late antiquity , the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire , and when Latin was as widespread as Greek among the elite. He is primarily known for his writings, which include the widely copied and read Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis ("Commentary on the Dream of Scipio") about Somnium Scipionis , which was one of the most important sources for Neoplatonism in

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660-675: The honorary cognomina adopted by successful generals, most cognomina were based on a physical or personality quirk; for example, Rufus meaning " red-haired " or Scaevola meaning " left-handed ". Some cognomina were hereditary (such as Caesar among a branch of the Julii , Brutus and Silanus among the Junii , or Pilius and Metellus among the Caecilii ): others tended to be individual. And some names appear to have been used both as praenomen , agnomen , or non-hereditary cognomen . For instance, Vopiscus

690-503: The house of Vettius Agorius Praetextatus during the holiday of the Saturnalia . It contains a great variety of curious historical, mythological, critical, antiquarian and grammatical discussions. "The work takes the form of a series of dialogues among learned men at a fictional banquet." A prominent lunar crater is named after Macrobius. Macrobius Cove in Antarctica is named after Macrobius. Cicero's Dream of Scipio described

720-464: The limited nature of the Latin praenomen , the cognomen developed to distinguish branches of the family from one another, and occasionally, to highlight an individual's achievement, typically in warfare. One example of this is Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus , whose cognomen Magnus was earned after his military victories under Sulla 's dictatorship. The cognomen was a form of distinguishing people who accomplished important feats, and those who already bore

750-448: The sources of the Saturnalia see H. Linke (1880) and Georg Wissowa (1880). The grammatical treatise will be found in Jan's edition and Heinrich Keil 's Grammatici latini ; see also Georg Friedrich Schömann , Commentatio macrobiana (1871). Macrobius's Saturnalia ( Latin : Saturnaliorum Libri Septem , "Seven Books of the Saturnalia ") consists of an account of the discussions held at

780-567: The whole of Servius' work. Currently in development is the Harvard Servius ( Servianorum in Vergilii Carmina Commentariorum: Editionis Harvardianae ); of the projected five volumes, two have so far appeared: ii (Aeneid 1–2), 1946, and iii (Aeneid 3–5), 1965. Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius , usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. c. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during

810-624: Was a pagan. Which "foreign sky" Macrobius was born under has been the subject of much speculation. Terrot Glover considers Macrobius either an ethnic Greek, or born in one of the Greek-speaking parts of the Roman Empire, such as Egypt, due to his intimate knowledge of Greek literature. J. E. Sandys went further and argued that Macrobius was born in one of the Greek provinces. However other experts, beginning with Ludwig van Jan , point out that despite his familiarity with Greek literature Macrobius

840-419: Was apparently known during his lifetime as "Theodosius": The dedication of De Differentiis is "Theodosius to his Symmachus" ( Theodosius Symmacho suo ) and he addressed as "the very greatest Theodosius" ( Theodosi optime ) in a dedicatory epistle to Avianus 's Fables . This was mistakenly reversed in later manuscripts to "Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius", which James Willis then used in his edition of

870-533: Was far more familiar with Latin than Greek—as evidenced by his enthusiasm for Vergil and Cicero —and favor North Africa, which was part of the Latin-speaking portion of the Roman Empire. Scholars have attempted to identify him with a Macrobius who is mentioned in the Codex Theodosianus as a praetorian prefect of Spain (399–400), and a proconsul of Africa (410). The Codex Theodosianus also records

900-492: Was used as both praenomen and cognomen in the Julii Caesares; likewise Nero among the early imperial Claudii , several of whom used the traditional hereditary Claudian cognomen as a praenomen. The upper-class usually used the cognomen to refer to one another. In present academic context, many prominent ancient Romans are referred to by only their cognomen ; for example, Cicero (from cicer " chickpea ") serves as

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