Herodes Atticus

Herodes was born Lucius Vibullius Hipparchus Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes in Marathon, a city in Greece in 101 or 102 CE [3]. Herodes Atticus’ grandfather, Hipparchus, was one of the richest men in the Roman empire.[2] He was accused of being a tyrant and was killed in 514 bce.[1] His son, Claudius Atticus, did not at first inherit his fathers wealth as it had been taken by Emperor Domitian when he was charged with tyranny. Atticus supposedly became rich after finding treasure buried in one of his fathers homes.[1] He joined the senate in 98 CE and later became governor of Judea and corrector of free cities in Asia Minor, as well as serving as suffect consul.[2]

As Herodes’ father was rich and powerful, he was able to ensure his son was well educated. Herodes went to Rome in 109 ce where he stayed with consul ordinarius Calvisius Tullus Ruso, who happened to be the grandfather of Marcus Aurelius, future emperor.[2] While in Athens, Herodes was taught by Taurus of Tyre, a platonist who taught philosophy.[2] Herodes learned rhetoric from the Athenian Secondus, which he preferred to philosophy.[2] Rhetoric was a skill used by orators, and studying oratory would be very useful for Herodes, as Roman politics relied on being able to speak persuasively. Additionally, the senate began to hold state trials as well as cases involving senators, meaning having a knowledge of judicial oratory was important for a senator. He received further teaching in rhetoric from Scopelion of Clazomenae and Favorinus and was taught criticism by Theagenes of Cnidus and Munatius of Tralles.[2] Both Favorinus and Munatius remained close friends of Herodes, with Herodes even inheriting Favorinus’ library.[2]

Herodes became a member of the ephibia, formerly a form of compulsory military service which had become a mark of aristocracy in Athens.[2] Here, he learned social and cultural skills as well as basic military skills.

Herodes was inspired by the orators from Asia Minor, the sophists. They used rhetoric in speeches that they performed around the empire as entertainment. These sophists were part of the second sophistic movement, a cultural movement as well as a movement in the field of rhetoric.  The majority of orators of the second sophistic movement were from Asia Minor and the east, with Herodes becoming one of the exceptions.[2]

In 126/7 ce, Herodes became archon, and was placed in charge of multiple Athenian magistrates.[2] In 129 ce, Herodes went to Rome, where he taught rhetoric to eight year old future emperor, Marcus Aurelius. The two remained good friends and kept up frequent correspondence later in life.[2] Herodes later became corrector of the free cities of Asia Minor, the same position his father once held.[4] In 137, he moved back to Athens to teach rhetoric, before returning to Rome to serve as consul ordinarius in 143 ce, becoming the first Greek to hold this position.[2]  Herodes also tutored Lucius Verus, who would eventually rule alongside Marcus Arelius as co-emperor.[2] Herodes continued to travel back and forth between Athens and Rome, teaching sophists including Aristides and Hadrian in the 130s-140s ce.[2] Outside of Athens at one of his villas in Cephisia, Herodes set up a school which was home to around 50 students. He was called the bloated professor, referring to his habit of drinking wine. [1]

Herodes contributed a great deal to the architecture and culture of Athens. Building projects were a popular way for rich Romans to show off their wealth and gain public favor. One of Herodes’ many projects was the Odeon of Herodes, which he dedicated to the memory of his wife Regilla. The Odeon was a theatre and concert hall that could seat 5000 people and still exists today.[1] One of the notable attributes was the fact that it had a roof made of cedar wood. Herodes also oversaw the construction of the Panathenaic stadium from 140-144 ce. The stadium sat 50 thousand spectators and was made of marble. The Panathenaic stadium was rebuilt for the first modern olympic games in 1896.[5]

Herodes built the fountain of Peirene in Corinth, a public fountain with statues and basins for people to fill jugs of water.[6] He also constructed the aqueduct at Olympia, which he dedicated to Zeus.[1] Along with these, Herodes had  commissioned projects such as statues at Isthmus, a theater in Corinth, a stadium at Pytho, and the bathing pools at Thermopylae.[1]

Despite the many buildings Herodes sponsored around Greece, he was not well liked, and was even accused by the Athenians of tyranny.[7] When his father Atticus died, he bequeathed in his will a mina annually to every citizen of Athens. However, when the people came to get their money, they were told by Herodes that their families were in debt to his father, and that they owed Herodes money.[1] One of the reasons Herodes was seen as a tyrant may have been because he supported freedmen's status becoming that of citizens.[7] By doing so, he ensured loyalty among a new, large group of citizens, as well as their families. As they rose in the ranks, he would have people loyal to him in high positions. This, as well as supplying the city with buildings and infrastructure, was one of the ways in which wealthy Athenians could gain loyalty and power.

The Athenians held an assembly where they asked the Quintilii brothers, both consuls, to stop the tyranny of Herodes. They reported the complaints of the Athenians to Emperor Marcus Aurelius, however Herodes accused them of plotting against him.[1] As Marcus was biased towards Herodes, he blamed the tyrannical charges on Herodes’ freedmen, whom he gave the mildest punishment he could.[1]

In 140 ce, Herodes married Appia Annia Regilla Atilia Caucidia Tertulla (ca.125–160), a relative of the Empress Faustina.[3] Herodes and Regilla had 5 children, one of whom did not survive infancy, and most of whom died before Herodes Atticus.[3] When Regilla was eight months pregnant with what would have been their sixth child, she was kicked in the stomach by Alcimedon, a freedman in the service of Herodes Atticus, and died as a result.[3] Her brother, Appius Annius Atilius Bradua, accused Herodes of murder, stating that Herodes ordered the man to kick her. It is unknown to what extent Herodes was involved in her death, however when he was tried by the senate, he was not convicted.[1] This is likely due to the fact that he had close ties to the current emperor, Marcus Aurelius. After Regillas death, Herodes remained close with Alcimedon, even referring to his two daughters as his own daughters.[1] He made a show of mourning his wife however, dedicating the Odeon of Herodes to her memory.

Herodes did not get along with his only son to survive childhood, Tiberius Claudius Marcus Appius Atilius Bradua Regillus Atticus.[2] Bradua reportedly had poor memory problems and was considered a fool by his father. He struggled to learn the alphabet and so Herodes appointed 24 children named after the letters of the alphabet to be his friends. Along with this, Bradua also was seen as lazy and overly fond of drinking.[2]

Other than his children with Regilla, Herodes also had foster sons, Polydeucion, Memnon, and Achilles. He cared for the three of them arguably more than his biological children, commissioning numerous statues of them after they too died at a young age.[1]

In 177 ce, Herodes Atticus died from what Philostratus refers to as “a wasting sickness.”[1]  He left instructions to be buried at Marathon but was instead buried in Athens, next to the Panathenaic Stadium.[1] Being buried in Marathon on his estate would have further attached his memory to the land and history of the Marathon, leaving a long lasting impression of his legacy. In the burial chamber of Herodes, an inscription commemorates him and dedicates the burial chamber to him.[8] However, Herodes’ name had at some point been purposely crossed out, as well as the name of who dedicated the tomb to him. His sarcophagus was hastily made and incomplete, judging by the carvings. [8]