Aggenus Urbicus
Encyclopedia
Aggenus Urbicus was an ancient Roman
technical writer
on the science of the Agrimensores, that is, land surveying
. It is uncertain when he lived; but he appears to have been a Christian
, and it is not improbable from some expressions which he uses, that he lived at the latter part of the 4th century. There are three extant works ascribed to him. Aggeni Urbici in Julium Frontinum Commentarius, a commentary upon the work De Agrorum Qualitate, which is ascribed to Frontinus
. Aggenus' commentary was not well regarded by later writers; Karl Lachmann
called it "the wretched work of some Christian schoolmaster". The other two works are In Julium Frontinum Commentariorum Liber secundus qui Diazographus dicitur; and Commentariorum de Controversiis Agrorum Pars prior et altera. The latter of which Carsten Niebuhr
supposes to have been actually been written by Frontinus
, and in the time of Domitian
, that is, the end of the 1st century, since the author speaks of "praestantissimus Domitianus," an expression which some feel would be unlikely to have been applied to this tyrant after his death.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
technical writer
Technical writing
Technical writing, a form of technical communication, is a style of writing used in fields as diverse as computer hardware and software, engineering, chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology....
on the science of the Agrimensores, that is, land surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
. It is uncertain when he lived; but he appears to have been a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, and it is not improbable from some expressions which he uses, that he lived at the latter part of the 4th century. There are three extant works ascribed to him. Aggeni Urbici in Julium Frontinum Commentarius, a commentary upon the work De Agrorum Qualitate, which is ascribed to Frontinus
Sextus Julius Frontinus
Sextus Julius Frontinus was one of the most distinguished Roman aristocrats of the late 1st century AD, but is best known to the post-Classical world as an author of technical treatises, especially one dealing with the aqueducts of Rome....
. Aggenus' commentary was not well regarded by later writers; Karl Lachmann
Karl Lachmann
Karl Konrad Friedrich Wilhelm Lachmann was a German philologist and critic.-Biography:He was born in Brunswick, in what is now Lower Saxony....
called it "the wretched work of some Christian schoolmaster". The other two works are In Julium Frontinum Commentariorum Liber secundus qui Diazographus dicitur; and Commentariorum de Controversiis Agrorum Pars prior et altera. The latter of which Carsten Niebuhr
Carsten Niebuhr
Carsten Niebuhr or Karsten Niebuhr , a German mathematician, cartographer, and explorer in the service of Denmark, is renowned for his travels on the Arabian peninsula.-Biography:...
supposes to have been actually been written by Frontinus
Sextus Julius Frontinus
Sextus Julius Frontinus was one of the most distinguished Roman aristocrats of the late 1st century AD, but is best known to the post-Classical world as an author of technical treatises, especially one dealing with the aqueducts of Rome....
, and in the time of Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
, that is, the end of the 1st century, since the author speaks of "praestantissimus Domitianus," an expression which some feel would be unlikely to have been applied to this tyrant after his death.