Demaratus the Corinthian

Demaratus the Corinthian

Demaratus the Corinthian was the father of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth King of Rome and the grandfather (or great grandfather) of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last king.

Life

He was a Corinthian nobleman of the House of Bacchis who fled charges of sedition in Corinth, to Italy in 655 B.C. Demaratus settled in the Etruscan city of Tarquinii and married an Etruscan noblewoman from Tarquinii. They had two sons, Lucumo and Aruns. Aruns died before his father, Demaratus, and left a pregnant wife. Demaratus (who died soon afterwards and not knowing he had a future grandchild) left nothing for him in his inheritance. His name was Egerius ("The Needy One"), on account of his poverty since he inherited nothing. Egerius was the father to Tarquinius Collatinus, the husband to Lucretia. Demaratus' son, Lucumo, inherited his entire fortune.

When Demaratus migrated to Western mainland Italy, he took all of his wealth and introduced Greek culture[citation needed] and Greek pottery. He supposedly brought potters with him from Corinth. These potters were responsible for the development of Greek pottery in Western mainland Italy.[citation needed] There were Greek potters in Tarquinii and in the Greek trading post of Gravisca. According to the Greek traveller Pausanias, it was either his son or grandson who was the first foreigner to visit Olympia and make a dedication.

According to Tacitus, he taught the Etruscans literacy.

External links

Bibliography

A Blakeway, "Demaratos" Journal of Hellenic Studies 1939, pp. 129ff.

Sources

  • Pausanias, Guide to Greece, tr. P. Levi, Penguin, 1979.
  • Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, tr. M. Grant, Penguin, 1996.
  • Morkot, R., The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece, Penguin, 1996.
  • Livy, Ab urbe condita, 1:34

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Demaratus (hetairos) — For the Corinthian of the 7th century, see Demaratus of Corinth Demaratus was a Corinthian prominent amongst the pro Macedonians and connected by hospitality with the family of Philip of Macedon. It was through the mediation of Demaratus that… …   Wikipedia

  • Aruns (son of Demaratus) — For other people of that name, see Aruns. Aruns Tarquinius was the second son of Demaratus the Corinthian, who migrated to the Etruscan city of Tarquinii in the 7th century. He died before the birth of his son Egerius and within the lifetime of… …   Wikipedia

  • Alexander the Great — This article is about the ancient king of Macedon. For other uses, see Alexander the Great (disambiguation). Alexander the Great Basileus of Macedon …   Wikipedia

  • ETRUSCO-CORINTHIAN POTTERY (CERAMICA ETRUSCOCORINZIA) —    A local imitation of Corinthian pottery, made from the late seventh to the mid sixth century BC, concentrated on the southern coastal cities (Caere, Veii, and Vulci). This pottery style is linked by some to the figure of Demaratus. The forms… …   Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans

  • Lucius Tarquinius Priscus — Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, also called Tarquin the Elder or Tarquin I, was held by ancient tradition to be the fifth King of Rome, said to have reigned from 616 BC to 578 BC. His wife was Tanaquil.According to Livy, Tarquinius Priscus came from… …   Wikipedia

  • Aruns 2 — was the second son of Demaratus the Corinthian, who migrated to Italy after the foundation of Rome. He died before the birth of his son Egerius and within the lifetime of his father. He was the brother to Lucius Tarquinius Priscus (also called… …   Wikipedia

  • SCULPTURE —    The earliest molded sculpture is found on the seventhcentury BC terracotta lids of cinerary urns such as Poggio Renzo at Chiusi or Montescudaio. Another traditional type of sculpture is seen in bronze figurines, starting in the middle of the… …   Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans

  • Ancient Corinth — Infobox Former Country native name = Κόρινθος conventional long name = Corinth common name = Corinth continent = Europe region = Mediterranean country = Greece era = Classical Antiquity government type = Monarchy event start = year start = 7th… …   Wikipedia

  • Cleomenes I — died 491 BC Spartan king (519–491). An Agiad (descendant from the legendary founders of Sparta), he ruled jointly with Demaratus. In 510 he expelled the tyrant Hippias from Athens, then supported the oligarchic party against the democratic… …   Universalium

  • Aegina — Infobox Greek Isles name = Aegina native name = Αίγινα skyline = Aegina Greece Beach1.jpg sky caption = Agia Marina beach overlooked by local restaurants coordinates = coord|37|45|N|23|26|E|display=inline,title|region:GR type:isle chain = Saronic …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”