Maecenas Eques

Though the name of Maecenas has come to be associated
with the phenomenon of literary and artistic
patronage, the predominant attribute of his image in
ancient sources was his equestrian status. This work
examines references to Maecenas as eques in all
their permutations and diachronic developments in
texts dating from Maecenas day to the 3rd century
C.E. There is a sharp dichotomy between the
equestrian images of Maecenas in poetry and in prose.
The poets of Maecenas era, Horace and Propertius,
and, nearly a century later, Martial use the
expression Maecenas eques in connection with
Maecenas power to make specific literary requests or
to support poetic undertakings. The historians
Velleius Paterculus, Tacitus, and Dio Cassius, on the
other hand, focus their attention on his status as a
non-senatorial aide of Augustus, whose objective was
the supremacy of his leader and the consolidation of
his power. After an analysis of these sources,
Maecenas social rank emerges as a complex and
multifaceted element of his image, one that is
transformed in manifold ways depending on the epoch,
the literary genre, the socio-political climate, and
the personal history of each author.

Autorentext

Panayotes Dakouras teaches Latin and is Head of the ClassicsDepartment at the Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City. Heis a graduate of the University of Athens, Greece, and he holds anM.A. and a Ph.D. in Classics from New York University.

Klappentext

Though the name of Maecenas has come to be associatedwith the phenomenon of literary and artisticpatronage, the predominant attribute of his image inancient sources was his equestrian status. This workexamines references to Maecenas as "eques" in alltheir permutations and diachronic developments intexts dating from Maecenas' day to the 3rd centuryC.E. There is a sharp dichotomy between theequestrian images of Maecenas in poetry and in prose.The poets of Maecenas' era, Horace and Propertius,and, nearly a century later, Martial use theexpression "Maecenas eques" in connection withMaecenas' power to make specific literary requests orto support poetic undertakings. The historiansVelleius Paterculus, Tacitus, and Dio Cassius, on theother hand, focus their attention on his status as anon-senatorial aide of Augustus, whose objective wasthe supremacy of his leader and the consolidation ofhis power. After an analysis of these sources,Maecenas' social rank emerges as a complex andmultifaceted element of his image, one that istransformed in manifold ways depending on the epoch,the literary genre, the socio-political climate, andthe personal history of each author.