Life Seneca the Younger

1 life

1.1 life , adulthood
1.2 politics , exile
1.3 imperial advisor
1.4 retirement
1.5 death

life
early life , adulthood

seneca born @ córdoba in roman province of baetica in hispania. father lucius annaeus seneca elder, spanish-born roman knight had gained fame writer , teacher of rhetoric in rome. seneca s mother, helvia, prominent baetician family. seneca second of 3 brothers; others lucius annaeus novatus (later known junius gallio), , annaeus mela, father of poet lucan. miriam griffin says in biography of seneca evidence seneca s life before exile in 41 slight, , potential interest of these years, social history biography, great few writers on seneca have resisted temptation eke out knowledge imagination. griffin infers ancient sources seneca born in either 8, 4, or 1 bc. thinks born between 4 , 1 bc , resident in rome ad 5.

modern statue of seneca in córdoba

seneca tells taken rome in arms of aunt (his mother s stepsister) @ young age, when 5 years old. father resided of life in city. seneca taught usual subjects of literature, grammar, , rhetoric, part of standard education of high-born romans. while still young received philosophical training attalus stoic, , sotion , papirius fabianus, both of whom belonged short-lived school of sextii combined stoicism pythagoreanism. sotion persuaded seneca when young man (in twenties) become vegetarian, practised around year before father urged him desist because practice associated foreign rites . seneca had breathing difficulties throughout life, asthma, , @ point in mid-twenties (c. 20 ad) appears have been struck down tuberculosis. sent egypt live aunt (the same aunt had brought him rome), husband gaius galerius had become prefect of egypt. nursed him through period of ill-health lasted ten years. in 31 ad returned rome aunt; uncle dying on route in shipwreck. aunt s influence allowed seneca elected quaestor (probably after 37 ad) earned him right sit in roman senate.

politics , exile

seneca s career senator seems have been successful , praised oratory. dio cassius relates story caligula offended seneca s oratorical success in senate ordered him commit suicide. seneca survived because ill , caligula told die anyway. in writings seneca has nothing caligula , depicts him monster. seneca explains own survival down patience , devotion friends: wanted avoid impression loyalty die.

in 41 ad, claudius became emperor, , seneca accused new empress messalina of adultery julia livilla, sister caligula , agrippina. affair has been doubted historians, since messalina had clear political motives getting rid of julia livilla , supporters. senate pronounced death sentence on seneca claudius commuted exile, , seneca spent next 8 years on island of corsica. 2 of seneca s earliest surviving works date period of exile—both consolations. in consolation helvia, mother, seneca comforts bereaved mother losing son exile. seneca incidentally mentions death of son, few weeks before exile. later in life seneca married woman younger himself, pompeia paulina. has been thought infant son may have been earlier marriage, evidence tenuous . seneca s other work, consolation polybius, written console polybius, 1 of claudius freedmen, on death of brother. noted flattery of claudius, , seneca expresses hope emperor recall him exile. in 49 ad agrippina married uncle claudius, , through influence seneca recalled rome. agrippina gained praetorship seneca , appointed him tutor son, future emperor nero.

imperial advisor

nero , seneca, eduardo barrón (1904). museo del prado

from ad 54 62, seneca acted nero s advisor, praetorian prefect sextus afranius burrus. 1 byproduct of influence seneca appointed suffect consul in 56. seneca s influence said have been strong in first year. seneca composed nero s accession speeches in promised restore proper legal procedure , authority senate. composed eulogy claudius nero delivered @ funeral. seneca s satirical skit apocolocyntosis lampoons deification of claudius , praises nero dates earliest period of nero s reign. in 55 ad seneca wrote on clemency written following nero s murder of britannicus, perhaps means of assuring citizenry murder end, not beginning of bloodshed. on clemency work which, although flatters nero, intended show correct (stoic) path of virtue ruler. tacitus , dio suggest nero s rule, during time listened seneca , burrus, quite competent. however, ancient sources suggest, on time, seneca , burrus lost influence on emperor. in 59 had reluctantly agreed agrippina s murder, , afterward tacitus reports seneca had write letter justifying murder senate.

in 58 ad consul publius suillius rufus had made series of public attacks on seneca. these attacks, reported tacitus , cassius dio, include charges in mere 4 years of service nero, seneca had acquired vast personal fortune of 3 hundred million sestertii charging high interest on loans throughout italy , provinces. suillius attacks included claims of sexual corruption, suggestion seneca had slept agrippina. tacitus though reports suillius highly prejudiced: had been favourite of claudius, , had been embezzler , informant. in response seneca brought series of prosecutions corruption against suillius: half of estate confiscated , sent exile. attacks reflect criticism of seneca made @ time , continued through later ages. seneca undoubtedly extremely rich: had properties @ baiae , nomentum, alban villa, , egyptian estates. dio cassius reports boudica uprising in britannia caused seneca forcing large loans on indigenous british aristocracy in aftermath of claudius s conquest of britain, , calling them in , aggressively. seneca sensitive such accusations: de vita beata ( on happy life ) dates around time , includes defense of wealth along stoic lines, arguing wealth gained , spent appropriate behaviour philosopher.

retirement

after burrus s death in 62, seneca s influence declined rapidly. tacitus reports seneca tried retire twice, in 62 , 64 ad, nero refused him on both occasions. nevertheless seneca increasingly absent court. adopted quiet lifestyle on country estates, concentrating on studies , seldom visiting rome. during these final few years composed 2 of greatest works: naturales quaestiones—an encyclopedia of natural world; , letters lucilius—which document philosophical thoughts.

death

manuel domínguez sánchez, suicide of seneca (1871), museo del prado

in ad 65, seneca caught in aftermath of pisonian conspiracy, plot kill nero. although unlikely seneca part of conspiracy, nero ordered him kill himself. seneca followed tradition severing several veins in order bleed death, , wife pompeia paulina attempted share fate. cassius dio, wished emphasize relentlessness of nero, focused on how seneca had attended last-minute letters, , how death hastened soldiers. generation after julio-claudian emperors, tacitus wrote account of suicide, in view of republican sympathies perhaps romanticized. according account, nero ordered seneca s wife saved. wounds bound , made no further attempt kill herself. seneca himself, age , diet blamed slow loss of blood , extended pain rather quick death; took poison, not fatal. after dictating last words scribe, , circle of friends attending him in home, immersed himself in warm bath, expected speed blood flow , ease pain. tacitus wrote, carried bath, steam of suffocated, , burnt without of usual funeral rites. had directed in codicil of will, when in height of wealth , power thinking of life’s close.