Octavia Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Hello everyone. I was reading something on Tiberius's son, Drusus Nero. In the movie and book, I claudius, he was called Caster. Why and how did he get that name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingsoc Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 According to Cassius Dio Drusus the younger was "so prone to anger that he even inflicted blows upon a distinguished knight and received on this account the nickname castor. This statetment was supposed to be taken as ironic as Castor was the patron god of the Roman ordo equester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drusus Nero Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 I heard he (Castor) bore a very strong likeness to a famous gladiator of the time . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Although the guy should have been called Drusus, the author of I Claudius[/], Robert Graves, needed to seperate him from the other Drusus (Claudius's ill-fated father). Therefore a nickname was convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Salve! His nickname really was Castor: Cassius Dio Roman History Book LVII cH. 14: "Yet he was so given to violent anger that he inflicted blows upon a distinguished knight, and for this exploit received the nickname of Castor" ... after a legendary gladiator: Horace, Epistle XVIII to Lollius, SEC. 19: "Why, whether [the gladiator] Castor or Dolichos be the cleverer fellow; whether the Minucian, or the Appian, be the better road to Brundusium." His cruelty gave his name to the sharpest of swords- known as a Drusian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingsoc Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Salve! His nickname really was Castor: Cassius Dio Roman History Book LVII cH. 14: "Yet he was so given to violent anger that he inflicted blows upon a distinguished knight, and for this exploit received the nickname of Castor" ... after a legendary gladiator: Horace, Epistle XVIII to Lollius, SEC. 19: "Why, whether [the gladiator] Castor or Dolichos be the cleverer fellow; whether the Minucian, or the Appian, be the better road to Brundusium." His cruelty gave his name to the sharpest of swords- known as a Drusian. As Cassius Dio see no need to explain his nickname to his readers I tend to think my explanation for the name is more likey. Dio did write his works in the times of the Severan dynasty and to accept the gladiator explanation we should assume that this Augustun age gladiator was well known centuries later, personally I find it hard to believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 As Cassius Dio see no need to explain his nickname to his readers I tend to think my explanation for the name is more likey. Dio did write his works in the times of the Severan dynasty and to accept the gladiator explanation we should assume that this Augustun age gladiator was well known centuries later, personally I find it hard to believe. This explanation comes from the note 3 of the Loeb Classical Library edition (1924) of Cassius Dio Book LVII. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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