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Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to asMacrobius (fl.c. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, duringlate antiquity, the period of time corresponding to theLater Roman Empire, and whenLatin was as widespread asGreek among the elite. He is primarily known for his writings, which include the widely copied and readCommentarii in Somnium Scipionis ("Commentary on the Dream of Scipio") aboutSomnium Scipionis, which was one of the most important sources forNeoplatonism in the Latin West during the Middle Ages; theSaturnalia, a compendium ofancient Roman religious andantiquarian lore; andDe differentiis et societatibus graeci latinique verbi ("On the Differences and Similarities of theGreek andLatin Verb"), which is now lost.
Macrobius'sgiven name (praenomen) is unrecorded as is hisfamily name (nomen). His recorded name is a series of three surnames (cognomina), properly ordered Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius. This is what appears in the earliest surviving manuscripts of theSaturnalia and how he is addressed in the excerpts from his lostDe Differentiis. He is called "Macrobius Theodosius" in bothCassiodorus andBoethius and was apparently known during his lifetime as "Theodosius": Thededication ofDe Differentiis is "Theodosius to his Symmachus" (Theodosius Symmacho suo) and he addressed as "most excellent Theodosius" (Theodosi optime) in a dedicatory epistle toAvianus'sFables. This was mistakenly reversed in later manuscripts to "Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius", which James Willis then used in his edition of theCommentary.[1]: 27
Little is known for certain about Macrobius, but there are many theories and speculations about him. He states at the beginning of hisSaturnalia that he was "born under a foreign sky" (sub alio ortus caelo), and both of his major works are dedicated to his son, Eustachius.Alan Cameron notes that several of the earliest manuscripts of his works spell his son's nameEustathius, then after pointing out that a certain Plotinus Eustathius wasUrban prefect in 462 observes "Plotinus would be a peculiarly appropriate name for a neoplatonist philosopher and keen admirer of the great Lycopolitan (cf.Comm. I, 8, 5) to have given his son." There is also a Macrobius Plotinus Eudoxius who collaborated with Memmius Symmachus over an edition of Macrobius'Commentary.[1]: 38 His major works have led experts to assume that he was a pagan.
Which "foreign sky" Macrobius was born under has been the subject of much speculation.Terrot Glover considers Macrobius either an ethnic Greek, or born in one of the Greek-speaking parts of the Roman Empire, such as Egypt, due to his intimate knowledge of Greek literature.J. E. Sandys went further and argued that Macrobius was born in one of the Greek provinces. However other experts, beginning withLudwig van Jan, point out that despite his familiarity with Greek literature Macrobius was far more familiar with Latin than Greek—as evidenced by his enthusiasm forVergil andCicero—and favor North Africa, which was part of the Latin-speaking portion of the Roman Empire.[2]
Scholars have attempted to identify him with a Macrobius who is mentioned in theCodex Theodosianus as apraetorian prefect ofSpain (399–400), and a proconsul of Africa (410).[3] TheCodex Theodosianus also records apraepositus (or lord chamberlain) named Macrobius in 422.[4] A number of older authorities go so far as to identify Macrobius the author with the first, and date hisfloruit to 399–410. There are objections to either identification: as Alan Cameron notes, the complete name of the first candidate is attested in an inscription to be "Flavius Macrobius Maximianus", while the second is excluded because "Apraepositus must at this period have been a eunuch."[1]: 25
However, since Macrobius is frequently referred to asvir clarissimus et inlustris (lit. ''most famous and illustrious man''), a title which was achieved by holding public office, we can reasonably expect his name to appear in theCodex Theodosianus. Further, Cameron points out that during his lifetime Macrobius was referred to as "Theodosius", and looking for that name Cameron found a Theodosius who waspraetorian prefect of Italy in 430. "It is significant that the only surviving law addressed to this Theodosius sanctions a privilege forAfrica Proconsularis on the basis of information received concerningByzacena," Cameron notes.[1]: 26
Macrobius's most influential book and one of the most widely cited books of the Middle Ages was acommentary on the bookDream of Scipio narrated by Cicero at the end of hisRepublic. The nature of the dream, in which the elder Scipio appears to his (adopted) grandson and describes the life of the good after death and the constitution of the universe from aStoic andNeo-Platonic point of view, gave occasion for Macrobius to discourse upon the nature of thecosmos, transmitting much classical philosophy to the later Middle Ages.[5] Inastronomy, this work is noted for giving the diameter of the Sun as twice the diameter of the Earth.[6] Of a third workOn the Differences and Similarities of the Greek and Latin Verb, we possess only an abstract by a certain Johannes, doubtfully identified withJohannes Scotus Eriugena (9th century).[5]
See editions by Ludwig von Jan (1848–1852, with a bibliography of previous editions, and commentary),Franz Eyssenhardt (1893,Teubner text), James Willis (1994, new Teubner), and R. A. Kaster (OCT andLoeb, 2011); on the sources of theSaturnalia see H. Linke (1880) andGeorg Wissowa (1880). The grammatical treatise will be found in Jan's edition andHeinrich Keil'sGrammatici latini; see alsoGeorg Friedrich Schömann,Commentatio macrobiana (1871).
Macrobius'sSaturnalia (Latin:Saturnaliorum Libri Septem, "Seven Books of theSaturnalia") consists of an account of the discussions held at the house ofVettius Agorius Praetextatus during the holiday of theSaturnalia. It contains a great variety of curious historical, mythological, critical,antiquarian and grammatical discussions. "The work takes the form of a series of dialogues among learned men at a fictional banquet."[7]
A prominentlunar crater is named after Macrobius.[8]
Macrobius Cove inAntarctica is named after Macrobius.
Cicero'sDream of Scipio described the Earth as a globe of insignificant size in comparison to the remainder of the cosmos.[9] Many early medieval manuscripts of Macrobius include maps of the Earth, including theantipodes, zonal maps showing thePtolemaic climates derived from the concept of a spherical Earth and a diagram showing the Earth (labeled asglobus terrae, the sphere of the Earth) at the center of the hierarchically ordered planetary spheres.[10]
Images from a 12th-century manuscript of Macrobius'sCommentarii in Somnium Scipionis (Parchment, 50 ff.; 23.9 × 14 cm; Southern France). Date: ca. 1150. Source: Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Bibliotek, ms. NKS 218 4°.
Macrobius is the basis for the protagonist Manlius inIain Pears' bookThe Dream of Scipio.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Macrobius, Ambrosius Theodosius".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 269.
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