Calvisius Sabinus (mentioned by Seneca)
Encyclopedia
Calvisius Sabinus, whose praenomen
is not recorded, was a wealthy contemporary of the younger Seneca
.
Sabinus was of servile origin, and, though ignorant, he affected to be a man of learning. Seneca was contemptuous of him, noting that he had inherited his wealth from a freedman
, but describing him as "a man whose reliance on slaves is so complete that he cannot even think for himself. He has bought slaves and has had them trained to memorize poetry, so that he can be cultured while having nothing in his head."
From his name, it seems that his father was a freedman of the Calvisii Sabini, a family that had been prominent in Roman politics a century earlier.
Praenomen
The praenomen was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the dies lustricus , the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the birth of a boy...
is not recorded, was a wealthy contemporary of the younger Seneca
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
.
Sabinus was of servile origin, and, though ignorant, he affected to be a man of learning. Seneca was contemptuous of him, noting that he had inherited his wealth from a freedman
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
, but describing him as "a man whose reliance on slaves is so complete that he cannot even think for himself. He has bought slaves and has had them trained to memorize poetry, so that he can be cultured while having nothing in his head."
From his name, it seems that his father was a freedman of the Calvisii Sabini, a family that had been prominent in Roman politics a century earlier.