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Marcus Terentius VarroRoman scholar, encyclopedist, expert on antiquities |
Content:
- Marcus Terentius Varro: The Roman Polymath
- Military Service and Political Affiliations
- Persecution and Later Years
- Prolific Author
- Lost and Extant Works
Marcus Terentius Varro: The Roman Polymath
Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BCE) was a renowned Roman scholar and antiquarian. Born in Reate (present-day Rieti), he received his education in Rome and Athens.
Military Service and Political Affiliations
In 76 BCE, Varro served under Pompey in Spain and later assisted him in his campaign against pirates in 67 BCE. During the Roman civil war, he initially supported Pompey but later received a pardon from Julius Caesar. Caesar appointed Varro as the librarian of his newly established library and restored his property that had been confiscated by Mark Antony.
Persecution and Later Years
In 43 BCE, Antony included Varro in his proscription lists due to his friendship with Cicero. However, with the help of friends, Varro managed to escape. The remaining years of his life were dedicated to scholarship.
Prolific Author
Varro authored 74 known works, encompassing around 620 books. His interests covered logic, language, poetry, history, law, and geography.
Lost and Extant Works
His most significant lost works included "Divine and Human Antiquities" (41 books) and "Portraits" (15 books), which featured biographies and portraits of renowned Greeks and Romans. The treatise "On Agriculture" (3 books) has survived in its entirety. Additionally, six books out of 25 from his work "On the Latin Language" have been preserved, along with over 600 fragments of his "Menippean Satires" (150 books), a blend of poetry and prose.
