The Roman Empire was rich in philosophers and sages, whose sayings have survived to this day. Publius Sir - who is this? Today we will talk about who this person is, and talk about why he deserves such close attention. His quotes and aphorisms are a real treasure for all those who collect wisdom bit by bit.
Introduction
Publius Syrus, whose photo we see below, is a mimic poet from Rome in the era of Augustus and Caesar, he is also a competitor and contemporary of Laberius. By origin, this author is a Syrian, and he came to Rome as a slave. The poet was born and worked in the 1st century BC. The prefix "Sir" comes precisely from his birthplace - Syria.
Creativity
His slavery did not last long, as he managed to interest the masters with his unique and interesting talent. After some time, he received freedom, as gratitude for the gift of joy. Having gained freedom, he began to give performances throughout Italy. Every month Publilius Syrus moved from city to city, and his audience grew steadily. Despite the fact that he himself was a provincial, his work was highly appreciated by all the inhabitants of Rome. They wanted to see him everywhere, invited to the holidays andcarnivals. It is interesting that he "was to the taste" not only of ordinary ordinary people, but also of nobles and first persons of the state.
People madly loved all his memes, as they were filled with various moralizing statements. Few people could convey in such an exquisitely talented "language" everything that Publius Cyr did. For accuracy, memes are short scenes that show the everyday side of everyone's life with humor and wit.
The years of the author's life fell on the period of Rome, when serious socio-political changes took place in it, and the mentality of the population literally "broke" under the pressure of various cultural traditions. All this gave rise to the composition of a huge number of well-aimed and funny scenes. In addition to pre-thought-out numbers, Publius Cyrus has always been famous for his ability to improvise, for which he was especially loved.
Sentences
First you need to understand what a maxim is, because in the modern world this word is not very popular. Sentences are a short but apt saying, which aims to present some moral lesson. This type of communication was very popular in schools and educational institutions of ancient times, and each student carried a thin collection of sharp quotes with him. Most often, the maxim tells about a controversial situation in which you need to do the right thing. The main characters are a prince, a king or any great wise person, and some cunning or evil hero. The story contrasts the positive and negative side, instructingreader to a certain conclusion.
In the 1st century B. C. someone unknown (perhaps Seneca himself, who happily quoted Publius, or maybe someone from his close circle) compiled a collection of sayings (maxims). They were originally intended for use by schoolchildren.
Publius Syrus, whose maxims were so popular, did not stop working, and showed the world new pearls of his talent. The author's collection was not forgotten, and survived even until the Middle Ages. In addition, it should be frankly said that he is very popular among the population.
Supplement to the collection
In the Middle Ages, the author's collection was significantly supplemented with new sayings. It is not known who was the creator of the new aphorisms. Most likely, the owner of the maxims simply wrote down exactly those quotes that he liked the most. Naturally, he could hear them anywhere, and the people themselves could be the author, which happens quite often. Researchers say that the owner of the collection could be a very respected and very rich person. In this case, the possibility is not ruled out that the aphorisms included in the maxims could have been written by the most prominent and bright minds of that time.
In recent times, another round of the "life cycle" of Publius' quotes has taken place. As you can see, despite the fact that time went forward, and the new generation replaced the old one, interest in the statements of the old Roman mime only grew. During this period, completely new quotations were included in the collection,which were not known before. In addition, significantly modified aphorisms of the original author, Publius Syrus, were added. But it is worth adding that they have come down to our days in an obviously corrupted and distorted form.
Editions
The original title of Publius Syrus' collection of quotes was "Publii Syri muni sententiae". Researchers of the work of this ancient author agree that the oldest edition of maxims took place in 1515 in Strasbourg. The collection was compiled by Erasmus of Rotterdam - the most famous scientist of the Renaissance, "the prince of the humanists." Later critical editions were printed in 1869, 1873 and 1880.
Publius Sir: quotes
To illustrate the talent of the beautiful Roman mime Publius Syra, here are some of his exquisite sayings:
- tears of the heir - laughter under the mask;
- in love, appearance plays a bigger role than authority;
- you can't teach shame, you can only be born with it;
- memory of past misfortune - new misfortune;
- fate is glass: shining, breaking.
This concludes a short list of interesting and thought-provoking quotes from a Roman author. Summing up this article, I would like to say that a real talent will carry itself through the centuries - we can see this perfectly in the example of the great mime Publius Syra. It is incomprehensible to the mind how his work in I BC. could survive so many eras and times and reach contemporaries. For the younger generation, such sayings willvery useful, because not every parent has sufficient wisdom to teach his child to navigate life. P. Syr's aphorisms are relevant to this day, which once again proves that time passes, and people remain the same.
