Epidius
Encyclopedia
Epidius was an Ancient Roman
rhetorician who taught the art of oratory
towards the close of the republic
, numbering Marcus Antonius and Octavianus among his scholars. His skill, however, was not sufficient to save him from a conviction for malicious accusation (calumnia
).
We are told that he claimed descent from Epidius Nuncionus (the name is probably corrupt), a rural deity, who appears to have been worshipped upon the banks of the Sarnus.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
rhetorician who taught the art of oratory
Oratory
Oratory is a type of public speaking.Oratory may also refer to:* Oratory , a power metal band* Oratory , a place of worship* a religious order such as** Oratory of Saint Philip Neri ** Oratory of Jesus...
towards the close of the republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
, numbering Marcus Antonius and Octavianus among his scholars. His skill, however, was not sufficient to save him from a conviction for malicious accusation (calumnia
Calumnia (Roman law)
In Roman law during the Republic, calumnia was the willful bringing of a false accusation, that is, malicious prosecution. The English word "calumny" derives from the Latin....
).
We are told that he claimed descent from Epidius Nuncionus (the name is probably corrupt), a rural deity, who appears to have been worshipped upon the banks of the Sarnus.