Abstract
In 133 BC, when Scipio Aemilianus heard of the violent death of his cousin and brother-in-law, Ti. Gracchus, he uttered a line from Homer: 'Thus perish all who attempt such.' In effect, this endorsed the lynching of Gracchus. At a deeper level, it cast Gracchus (in the Homeric context of that quotation) as the tyrant Aegisthus. It may also have suggested an image of moral turpitude, Aegisthus having debauched his cousin Agamemnon's wife. By analogy (if intended), that would have suggested an adulterous union between Gracchus and his sister Sempronia. It is further suggested that gossip arising from this extraordinary insinuation might have prompted a special reading of the claims circa 102 BC of L. Equitius to be the bastard son of Gracchus.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 80-106 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Antichthon |
| Volume | 50 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
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Wronging Sempronia. / Beness, J. Lea; Hillard, Tom.
In: Antichthon, Vol. 50, 2016, p. 80-106.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Wronging Sempronia
AU - Beness, J. Lea
AU - Hillard, Tom
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - In 133 BC, when Scipio Aemilianus heard of the violent death of his cousin and brother-in-law, Ti. Gracchus, he uttered a line from Homer: 'Thus perish all who attempt such.' In effect, this endorsed the lynching of Gracchus. At a deeper level, it cast Gracchus (in the Homeric context of that quotation) as the tyrant Aegisthus. It may also have suggested an image of moral turpitude, Aegisthus having debauched his cousin Agamemnon's wife. By analogy (if intended), that would have suggested an adulterous union between Gracchus and his sister Sempronia. It is further suggested that gossip arising from this extraordinary insinuation might have prompted a special reading of the claims circa 102 BC of L. Equitius to be the bastard son of Gracchus.
AB - In 133 BC, when Scipio Aemilianus heard of the violent death of his cousin and brother-in-law, Ti. Gracchus, he uttered a line from Homer: 'Thus perish all who attempt such.' In effect, this endorsed the lynching of Gracchus. At a deeper level, it cast Gracchus (in the Homeric context of that quotation) as the tyrant Aegisthus. It may also have suggested an image of moral turpitude, Aegisthus having debauched his cousin Agamemnon's wife. By analogy (if intended), that would have suggested an adulterous union between Gracchus and his sister Sempronia. It is further suggested that gossip arising from this extraordinary insinuation might have prompted a special reading of the claims circa 102 BC of L. Equitius to be the bastard son of Gracchus.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85016036315&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/ann.2016.7
DO - 10.1017/ann.2016.7
M3 - Article
VL - 50
SP - 80
EP - 106
JO - Antichthon
T2 - Antichthon
JF - Antichthon
SN - 0066-4774
ER -