Maecenas (68 B.C – 8 B.C)Hailing from a rich family in Etruria, he essentially was paying other people to fulfill his entertainment. He created his own circle of literary geniuses like Vergil, Horace, and Propertius (vide supra) with all the stacks of wealth he has. Unlike many people of the wealthy, he opted not to rise above the equestrian rank or held public offices. This does not mean he had no influence and was only a bored middle class person. He was in Augustus' circle and in part assisted Augustus to his ascension. His name later became synonymous with patronage in Rome because he was basically sponsoring everyone. Despite being famous for sponsoring other people's works, he also was a writer himself, albeit less famous. Maecenas also built his famous gardens, the first gardens in the Hellenistic-Persian garden style in Rome. It contains all aspects of high Roman culture (as in libraries and terraces).
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Basic Info |
Full Name:
Gaius Clinius Maecenas Born: 15 April 68 B.C | Arezzo, Etruria Died: 8 B.C (aged 60) | Unknown |
Works |
Maecenas awrote literature in both prose and verse. The some twenty fragments that remain show that he was less successful as an author than as a judge and patron of literature.
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