Alfenus Varus facts for kids

Alfenus Varus was an important Roman legal expert and writer who lived a long time ago, around the 1st century BC.

He was known for his knowledge of Roman law and for writing books that helped shape how laws were understood and used.

Life of Alfenus Varus

Alfenus Varus was a student of a famous Roman lawyer named Servius Sulpicius Rufus. He was the only one of Servius's students whose writings were included in a very important collection of Roman laws called the Pandects.

Alfenus Varus wrote 40 books called Digesta, which means 'Ordered Abstracts'. This was the first time someone used this title for a legal work. About 70 parts of his Digesta are still found in Justinian's Pandects, making them some of the oldest clear legal writings we have.

His Early Life and Career

There's a story about Alfenus Varus from an old writer named Helenius Acron. He said that Alfenus Varus was from a town called Cremona. In Cremona, he used to work as a barber or someone who fixed shoes.

Later, he moved to Rome to study law with Servius. He became very successful, even reaching the high position of consul. When he died, he was given a special public funeral, which showed how much he was respected.

Connection to the Poet Virgil

Many people believe that Alfenus Varus, the legal expert, is the same "Varus" mentioned in the famous Roman poet Virgil's poems.

In one of Virgil's poems, Eclogue 9, Virgil asks Varus to help save his hometown, Mantua, from losing its land. This was happening around 40 BC when land was being taken to give to soldiers. Virgil promised to write a poem honoring Varus if he succeeded.

Another of Virgil's poems, Eclogue 6, is also written to Varus. It's not fully known how much Varus was able to help Mantua. It seems Varus was in charge of giving out land in northern Italy to veteran soldiers in 40 BC. One old speech even criticized Varus for taking land too close to Mantua, even though he was told to leave some space around the city. Virgil also mentioned Varus's achievements as a soldier.

Varus as Consul

Alfenus Varus became a consul in 39 BC. A consul was one of the two highest elected officials in the Roman Republic. It is thought that Publius Alfenus Varus, who was consul in 2 AD, might have been his son.

What Did Alfenus Varus Write?

There are 54 parts from Alfenus Varus's 40 books of Digesta that are included in the Pandects. Some experts think that Alfenus might have mainly put together the work of his teacher, Servius, rather than writing all of it himself.

From the parts of his work that we still have, it seems Alfenus knew Greek. His writings are also known for being clear and easy to understand. One passage in the Pandects shows that he also thought about ideas from philosophers.

A writer named Aulus Gellius said that Alfenus was interested in old history. Gellius even quoted a part from Alfenus's 34th book of Digest, where Alfenus talked about a rule from a treaty between the Romans and the Carthaginians. Other legal experts often mentioned Alfenus in their own writings.

The parts of Alfenus's work found in the Pandects come from books two to seven of his Digest. There are also parts from the eighth book that were summarized by another legal expert named Paulus. We know from old lists that his work had 40 books.

See also

• Alfena (gens)