The Role of Quintus Dellius in the Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra at Tarsus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3940041 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Trevor Fear (corresponding author), Fear, Fear Fear (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 74 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Pages | 91 |
| Publication date | 2020-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Phoenix (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8299 • E-ISSN: 1929-4883 |
| Publisher | Project MUSE (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1353/phx.2020.0031 |
| OpenAlex | W3158498832 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 3 |
The meeting of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at Tarsus in 41 b.c.e. is one of the fabled events of ancient history.Whether the rendezvous between Egypt's queen and Rome's triumvir is encountered in the dramatic narrative of Plutarch, the poetry of Shakespeare, or the epic 1963 Mankiewicz movie, this iconic moment leaves a lasting impact.Given the larger than life personalities of the main protagonists involved, the theatrics and exuberance of the meeting at Tarsus may well seem entirely expected.However, there remains the possibility that there was a third significant contributor to the dynamics of this event: a man, whose role was behind the scenes, but who nevertheless helped to orchestrate this celebrated occasion.This man was Quintus Dellius.Quintus Dellius was a colourful character who is best known from the verbal tag that was attached to him by Seneca the Elder in his Suasoriae (Sen.Suas.1.7), where Messala Corvinus describes him as the desultor bellorum civilium ("the horse vaulter of the civil wars"). 1 This description of Dellius was due to the number of times that he switched sides during the course of these conflicts: he changed allegiance from Dolabella to Cassius, and then from Cassius to Antony, and finally from Antony to Octavian (Sen.Suas.1.7; Vell.Pat.2.84). 2 The term was not, of course, intended as a compliment, but rather as a wry observation on Dellius' capacity for self-preservation.Desultor or "leaper" was a term applied particularly to a type of horse rider in the circus who jumped from horse to horse. 3 This mutability on Dellius' part was also remarked upon by the younger Seneca (Sen.Clem.1.10.1),who includes Dellius in a list of notable members of the Augustan inner circle who were recruited from the enemy camp.We can gather from these references that Dellius was a survivor, an astute and timely
Art · Cleopatra · Literature · Tarsus (eyelids · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Medicine · Surgery
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |