Marcus Antonius Antyllus
Encyclopedia
Marcus Antonius Antyllus (47 BC – 1 August 30 BC) was known as Marcus Antonius Minor to distinguish him from his famous father, the Roman
Triumvir Marc Antony (Marcus Antonius Major). He was also called Antyllus — a nickname given to him by his father. Despite his three children by Cleopatra, Marc Antony designated Antyllus as his official heir — a requirement under Roman law
and a designation that probably contributed to his execution at age 17 by Octavian (later the Emperor Augustus).
. His younger (full-blooded) brother was Iullus Antonius
. His maternal half sibling was Clodia Pulchra
and his paternal half siblings were Antonia Major
and Antonia Minor
(by Octavia Minor), and Alexander Helios
, Cleopatra Selene II, and Ptolemy Philadelphus
(by Cleopatra VII).
. His mother, Fulvia Flacca Bambula, died in October 40 BC, from illness, while in political exile in Sicyon
, Greece
. His father remarried to Octavia Minor
, the second elder sister to Octavian (future Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus
) who was a member of the second triumvirate. In his younger years, he was betrothed to Octavian's daughter Julia the Elder
. After the alliance between his father and Octavian ended, the engagement was broken off. Between 40 - 36 BC, he lived with his father, step mother and his siblings in his father's mansion, in Athens
, Greece
. After 36 BC, he accompanied his father as they left Greece and lived his remaining years in Alexandria
, Egypt
in the court of Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt
.
His physician was a Greek man called Philotas. From Plutarch
's account of Antony, clause 28, the historian gives a story of the character of Antyllus:
After the defeat at Actium, Octavian invaded Egypt in 30 BC. Antyllus was involved in one of three unsuccessful emissaries to Octavian. His father sent him to Octavian with a large sum of money, in exchange for peace. Octavian kept the money, but dismissed Antyllus and returned him to his father. To avoid being taken prisoner and led in chains through the streets of Rome, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. Not so long after the deaths of his father and stepmother, Antyllus' tutor Theodorus betrayed him to Octavian. Pleading in vain for mercy from Octavian, Antyllus was dragged from the image of the God Julius by Roman soldiers. Octavian ordered his execution. After Antyllus was beheaded, Theodorus took a precious stone that the young man had worn on a chain around his neck and sewed the stone into his belt. Although Theodorus denied the theft, Octavian tried him, found him guilty, and ordered his crucifixion.
According to Plutarch
and Suetonius
, Antyllus was the only child of Mark Antony to be executed by Octavian. His remaining siblings (Alexander Helios
, Cleopatra Selene II, and Ptolemy Philadelphus
) were spared by Octavian and were raised by Antony's wife, Octavia Minor, in Rome.
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....
Triumvir Marc Antony (Marcus Antonius Major). He was also called Antyllus — a nickname given to him by his father. Despite his three children by Cleopatra, Marc Antony designated Antyllus as his official heir — a requirement under Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
and a designation that probably contributed to his execution at age 17 by Octavian (later the Emperor Augustus).
Family
Antyllus was the eldest child of Mark Antony by his third wife, FulviaFulvia
Fulvia Flacca Bambula , commonly referred to as simply Fulvia, was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Through her marriage to three of the most promising Roman men of her generation, Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribonius Curio and Mark Antony, she gained...
. His younger (full-blooded) brother was Iullus Antonius
Iullus Antonius
Iullus Antonius , also known as Iulus, Julus or Jullus, was the second son of Mark Antony and his third wife Fulvia. He is best known for being the famous lover of Julia the Elder...
. His maternal half sibling was Clodia Pulchra
Clodia Pulchra
Clodia Pulchra, also known as Claudia was the daughter of Fulvia by her first husband Publius Clodius Pulcher. She was the stepdaughter of Mark Antony and half-sister of Marcus Antonius Antyllus and Iullus Antonius....
and his paternal half siblings were Antonia Major
Antonia Major
Antonia Major , also known as Antonia the Elder, was a daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor and a relative of the first Roman Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor , also known as Antonia the Younger or simply Antonia was the younger of two daughters of Roman politician Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. Tacitus Ann. 4.44.2 and 12.54.2 may have confused the two Antonia sisters...
(by Octavia Minor), and Alexander Helios
Alexander Helios
Alexander Helios was a Ptolemaic prince and was the eldest son of Greek Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman triumvir Mark Antony. His twin was Cleopatra Selene II. He was of Greek and Roman heritage. Cleopatra named him Alexander in honour of her Macedonian heritage, and after her...
, Cleopatra Selene II, and Ptolemy Philadelphus
Ptolemy Philadelphus (Cleopatra)
Ptolemy Philadelphus was a Ptolemaic prince and was the youngest and fourth child of Greek Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, and her third with Roman Triumvir Mark Antony. Ptolemy was of Greek and Roman heritage. He was born in Antioch, Syria...
(by Cleopatra VII).
Biography
Antyllus was born and raised in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. His mother, Fulvia Flacca Bambula, died in October 40 BC, from illness, while in political exile in Sicyon
Sicyon
Sikyon was an ancient Greek city situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day prefecture of Corinthia...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. His father remarried to Octavia Minor
Octavia Minor
Octavia the Younger , also known as Octavia Minor or simply Octavia, was the sister of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus , half-sister of Octavia the Elder, and fourth wife of Mark Antony...
, the second elder sister to Octavian (future Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
) who was a member of the second triumvirate. In his younger years, he was betrothed to Octavian's daughter Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only biological child of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Augustus subsequently adopted several male members of his close family as sons...
. After the alliance between his father and Octavian ended, the engagement was broken off. Between 40 - 36 BC, he lived with his father, step mother and his siblings in his father's mansion, in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. After 36 BC, he accompanied his father as they left Greece and lived his remaining years in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in the court of Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt
Cleopatra VII of Egypt
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.She was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Greek origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death during the Hellenistic period...
.
His physician was a Greek man called Philotas. From Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
's account of Antony, clause 28, the historian gives a story of the character of Antyllus:
For they had an association called The Inimitable Livers, and every day they feasted one another, making their expenditures of incredible profusion. At any rate, Philotas, the physician of Amphissa, used to tell my grandfather, LampriasLampriasLamprias was Plutarch's grandfather as he attested in Moralia, and in his Life of Antony. According to Plutarch, Lamprias was a man of eloquence and imagination. His name is also given by Suida...
, that he was in Alexandria at the time, studying his profession, and that having got well acquainted with one of the royal cooks, he was easily persuaded by him (young man that he was) to take a view of the extravagant preparations for a royal supper. Accordingly, he was introduced into the kitchen, and when he saw all the other provisions in great abundance, and eight wild boars a-roasting, he expressed his amazement at what must be the number of guests. But the cook burst out laughing and said: "The guests are not many, only about twelve; but everything that is set before them must be at perfection, and this an instant of time reduces. For it might happen that Antony would ask for supper immediately, and after a little while, perhaps, would postpone it and call for a cup of wine, or engage in conversation with some one. Wherefore," he said, "not one, by many suppers are arranged; for the precise time is hard to hit." This tale, then, Philotas used to tell; and he said also that as time went on he became one of the medical attendants of Antony's oldest son, whom he had of Fulvia, and that he usually supped with him at his house in company with the rest of his comrades, when the young man did not sup with his father. Accordingly, on one occasion, as a physician was making too bold and giving much annoyance to them as they supped, Philotas stopped his mouth with some such sophism as the: "To the patient who is somewhat feverish cold water must be given; but everyone who has a fever is somewhat feverish; therefore to everyone who has a fever cold water should be given." The fellow was confounded and put to silence, whereat Antony's son was delighted and said with a laugh: "All this I bestow upon thee, Philotas," pointing to a table covered with a great many large beakers. Philotas acknowledged his good intentions, but was far from supposing that a boy so young had the power to give away so much. After a little while, however, one of the slaves brought the beakers to him in a sack, and bade him put his seal upon it. And when Philotas protested and was afraid to take them, "You miserable man," said the fellow, "why hesitate? Don't you know that the giver is the son of Antony, and that he has the right to bestow so many golden vessels? However, take my advice and exchange them all with us for money; since perchance the boy's father might miss some of the vessels, which are of ancient workmanship and highly valued for their art." Such details, then, my grandfather used to tell me, Philotas would recount at every opportunity.
After the defeat at Actium, Octavian invaded Egypt in 30 BC. Antyllus was involved in one of three unsuccessful emissaries to Octavian. His father sent him to Octavian with a large sum of money, in exchange for peace. Octavian kept the money, but dismissed Antyllus and returned him to his father. To avoid being taken prisoner and led in chains through the streets of Rome, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. Not so long after the deaths of his father and stepmother, Antyllus' tutor Theodorus betrayed him to Octavian. Pleading in vain for mercy from Octavian, Antyllus was dragged from the image of the God Julius by Roman soldiers. Octavian ordered his execution. After Antyllus was beheaded, Theodorus took a precious stone that the young man had worn on a chain around his neck and sewed the stone into his belt. Although Theodorus denied the theft, Octavian tried him, found him guilty, and ordered his crucifixion.
According to Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
and Suetonius
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, Antyllus was the only child of Mark Antony to be executed by Octavian. His remaining siblings (Alexander Helios
Alexander Helios
Alexander Helios was a Ptolemaic prince and was the eldest son of Greek Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman triumvir Mark Antony. His twin was Cleopatra Selene II. He was of Greek and Roman heritage. Cleopatra named him Alexander in honour of her Macedonian heritage, and after her...
, Cleopatra Selene II, and Ptolemy Philadelphus
Ptolemy Philadelphus (Cleopatra)
Ptolemy Philadelphus was a Ptolemaic prince and was the youngest and fourth child of Greek Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, and her third with Roman Triumvir Mark Antony. Ptolemy was of Greek and Roman heritage. He was born in Antioch, Syria...
) were spared by Octavian and were raised by Antony's wife, Octavia Minor, in Rome.
Ancestry
Sources
- PlutarchPlutarchPlutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, The Makers of Rome, Antony. - SuetoniusSuetoniusGaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, The Twelve Caesars, Augustus. - http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Antony*.html