Group of philosophers, poets and politicians patronized by Scipio Aemilianus
The Scipionic Circle, or the Circle of Scipio, was a group of philosophers, poets, and politicians patronized by their namesake, Scipio Aemilianus.[1] Together they would discuss Greek culture, literature, and humanism.[2] Alongside their philhellenic disposition, the group also had a more humane Roman foreign policy.[3] The term was first derived during the 19th century and ubiquitously adopted by scholars of the early 20th century.[4] The collection of members varied during its existence, from 15 names of the early period, to 27 in its middle to 10 in its final.[5]
Contemporary academia regards the concept of the "Scipionic Circle" with suspicion. Cicero is the primary source on the subject in his works De amicitia and De republica.[6] Cicero's construction bestows an unsupported unity between Scipio's friends. If there ever was such a unity it would be between Panaetius and the more philosophically-inclined members of the collective.[4] In addition to a dependence on these works of Cicero, within these two works Cicero creates two different circles.[7] Among other problems brought up by academics, two of the most prominent members of the group, Terence and Panaetius, could not have met as Terence had died prior to Panaetius arriving in Rome.[2]
^Publius Cornelius Aemilianus Scipio Africanus Minor
^ abA Companion to Terence.
^"Scipionic circle - Brill Reference".
^ abThe Oxford Classical Dictionary
^"Cambridge Journals Online - The Classical Review - Abstract - The Circle of Scipio A Study of the Scipionic Circle. By Ruth Martin Brown. [See C.R. XLVIII, 246.]".
^Scipio Africanus
^Zetzel, J.E.G. (1972). "Cicero and the Scipionic Circle". Harvard Studies in Classical Philology. 76. JSTOR 310983.
The ScipionicCircle, or the Circle of Scipio, was a group of philosophers, poets, and politicians patronized by their namesake, Scipio Aemilianus. Together...
who became consul of ancient Rome in 136 BC. He was a member of the ScipionicCircle, and particularly close to Scipio Aemilianus. As proconsul, his allotted...
he was born at Suessa Aurunca in Campania, and was a member of the ScipionicCircle. The dates assigned by Jerome for Lucilius' birth and death are 148 BC...
the principal opponents of Gaius Gracchus. He was a member of the ScipionicCircle. Gaius Fannius was the son of Marcus Fannius (whose brother was probably...
Scipio Aemilianus. This friendship garnered his entrance into the ScipionicCircle. Politically, he was an aristocrat. He wrote satirical and ethical...
favour by his youthful beauty, Terence became a member of the so-called ScipionicCircle. When Terence offered his first play, Andria, to the aediles, they...
philhellenic and conservative. He was the patron of the so-called Scipioniccircle, a group of 15 to 27 philosophers, poets, and politicians. Besides...
out led to a political schism within the ScipionicCircle. The reform program abandoned by Scipio and his circle of intimates, including Laelius, were later...
his former pupil Scipio Aemilianus and was among the members of the ScipionicCircle. When Scipio defeated the Carthaginians in the Third Punic War, Polybius...
so much so that in some comedies some socio-cultural topics of the ScipionicCircle, of which he was a member, can be found. In addition, in contrast to...
subordinate, and being his political ally and client as well, as part of the ScipionicCircle. It was also in 160 BC, when the aged Laelius (probably then in his...
In Cicero's De oratore, Manilius was depicted as a member of the ScipionicCircle. In the work, Cicero describes Manilius as a "representative of the...
amicitia, and De republica. This usage places Scaevola as a member of the ScipionicCircle. Scaevola married Laelia, a daughter of Gaius Laelius, a close friend...
east in 139–138 BC. Along with Polybius, he became a member of the ScipionicCircle. He returned with Scipio to Rome, where he did much to introduce Stoic...
Lucius. Philus was a good friend of Scipio Aemilianus and member of the ScipionicCircle around him. Scipio and another friend Laelius were moreover members...
controversy on the subject focused on contrasting positions of the ScipionicCircle, open to Hellenic cultural suggestions, and the conservatism of Cato...
promotes the training of young researchers through seminars such as the ScipionicCircle – Young Researchers Academy, and the integration of young researchers...
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