Gaius Licinius Macer Calvus
Gaius Licinius Macer Calvus | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 May 82 BC |
| Died | c. 46 BC (aged 34-35) |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, poet, orator |
| Relatives | Licinius Macer (father) |
Gaius Licinius Macer Calvus (28 May 82 BC[1] – c. 46 BC[2]) was an orator and poet of ancient Rome.
Son of Licinius Macer[2] and thus a member of the gens Licinia, he was a friend of the poet Catullus, whose style and subject matter he shared.[3]
Calvus' oratorical style opposed the "Asian" school in favor of a simpler Attic model:[2] he characterized Cicero as "solutum et enervem" (loose and nerveless), while Cicero described him as "exsanguem et aridum" (bloodless and dry).[4] However, there was no enmity between these two, and Cicero praised Calvus highly.[2]
Tacitus mentions twenty-one of his speeches are mentioned by Tacitus, including several speeches against Publius Vatinius.[5] Calvus likely prosecuted Vatinius multiple times, in 58 BC and then later in 54 BC, where he was defended by Cicero.[6] The second trial was also was the subject of Catullus 53.[7] In Catullus 53, Catullus also referred to Calvus as salaputum disertum. The meaning of this has been disputed however, it has been suggested that it referred to Calvus' wit.[8]
Seneca the Elder mentions his short stature, and refers a story in which Calvus asked to be raised to a platform, so that he could defend one of his clients.[9]
Frédéric Plessis published fragments of Calvus in 1896.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 7.165
- ^ a b c d Frank, Tenney (1919). "Cicero and the Poetae Novi". The American Journal of Philology. 40 (4): 396–415. doi:10.2307/288916. JSTOR 288916.
- ^ Augustus Weichert (1825). De C. Licinio Calvo, oratore et poeta (in Latin).
- ^ Tacitus, Dialogus, 18
- ^ Tacitus, Dialogus, 21
- ^ Cicero (1958). In Vatinium (Report). Harvard University Press. pp. 330–331. doi:10.4159/dlcl.marcus_tullius_cicero-in_vatinium.1958.
- ^ Comfort, Howard (1935). "The Date of Catullus LIII". Classical Philology. 30 (1): 74–76. doi:10.1086/361811. JSTOR 265227.
- ^ Hawkins, Shane (2012). "On the Oscanism salaputium in Catullus 53". Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-). 142 (2): 329–353. doi:10.1353/apa.2012.0017. JSTOR 23324455.
- ^ Seneca the Elder, Controversiae, 7.4.6
- ^ Plessis, Frédéric (1896). Calvus: édition complète des fragments et des témoignages. Paris: Klincksieck.
