Papirius Fabianus
Encyclopedia
Papirius Fabianus was an Ancient Roman rhetorician and philosopher from the gens
Papirius
in the time of Tiberius
and Caligula
, in the first half of the 1st century AD.
He was the pupil of Arellius Fuscus
and of Blandus in rhetoric, and of Sextius in philosophy. Although much the younger of the two, he instructed Albutius Silas in eloquence. The rhetorical style of Fabianus is described by Seneca the Elder
, and he is frequently cited in the third book of Controversiae as well as in the Suasoriae. His early model in rhetoric was his instructor Arellius Fuscus; but he afterwards adopted a less ornate form of eloquence.
Fabianus soon, however, abandoned rhetoric in favor of philosophy; and Seneca the Younger
places his philosophical works next to those of Cicero
, Asinius Pollio, and Livy
the historian. The philosophical style of Fabianus is described by Seneca, and in some points his description corresponds with that of the elder Seneca. Both the Senecas seem to have known, and certainly greatly esteemed Fabianus.
Fabianus was the author of a work entitled [Rerum ?] Civilium; and his philosophical writings exceeded Cicero's in number. He had also paid great attention to physical science, and is called by Pliny the Elder
rerum naturae peritissimus, "very experienced in matters of nature." From Seneca (Natur. Quaest. iii. 27), he appears to have written on physics
; and his works entitled De Animalibus and Causarum Naturalium Libri are frequently referred to by Pliny.
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
Papirius
Papirius
Papirius is the name of a gens whose most notable members were active mainly during the Roman Republic.*Papirius, pontifex in 509 BC, was the author of a supposed collection of Leges Regiae, referred to as the Ius Papirianum....
in the time of Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
and Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, in the first half of the 1st century AD.
He was the pupil of Arellius Fuscus
Arellius Fuscus
Arellius Fuscus was an ancient Roman orator. He spoke with ease in both Latin and Greek, in an elegant and ornate style. Charles Thomas Cruttwell says Arelius was an Asiatic, that is, a practitioner of an elevated oratorical style....
and of Blandus in rhetoric, and of Sextius in philosophy. Although much the younger of the two, he instructed Albutius Silas in eloquence. The rhetorical style of Fabianus is described by Seneca the Elder
Seneca the Elder
Lucius or Marcus Annaeus Seneca, known as Seneca the Elder and Seneca the Rhetorician , was a Roman rhetorician and writer, born of a wealthy equestrian family of Cordoba, Hispania...
, and he is frequently cited in the third book of Controversiae as well as in the Suasoriae. His early model in rhetoric was his instructor Arellius Fuscus; but he afterwards adopted a less ornate form of eloquence.
Fabianus soon, however, abandoned rhetoric in favor of philosophy; and Seneca the Younger
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...
places his philosophical works next to those of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, Asinius Pollio, and Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
the historian. The philosophical style of Fabianus is described by Seneca, and in some points his description corresponds with that of the elder Seneca. Both the Senecas seem to have known, and certainly greatly esteemed Fabianus.
Fabianus was the author of a work entitled [Rerum ?] Civilium; and his philosophical writings exceeded Cicero's in number. He had also paid great attention to physical science, and is called by Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
rerum naturae peritissimus, "very experienced in matters of nature." From Seneca (Natur. Quaest. iii. 27), he appears to have written on physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
; and his works entitled De Animalibus and Causarum Naturalium Libri are frequently referred to by Pliny.