Nigidius Figulus facts for kids

Publius Nigidius Figulus (born around 98 BC, died 45 BC) was an important scholar in the late Roman Republic. He was also a praetor (a high-ranking Roman official) in 58 BC. Nigidius was a good friend of Cicero, a famous Roman speaker and politician. He supported Cicero during the Catilinarian conspiracy, a plot against the Roman government.

Later, during the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompeius Magnus, Nigidius sided with the Optimates. This group wanted to keep the traditional ways of the Republic. Among the people of his time, Nigidius was known for being very smart, second only to Varro, another great Roman scholar. His writings were often seen as difficult to understand. This might be because he was very interested in Pythagoreanism, a philosophy that included ideas about numbers, the universe, and even some magic. He also mixed in ideas from Stoicism.

A writer named Jerome called him a "Pythagorean and mage," meaning a wise person and someone interested in magic. In later times, people often thought of him as a magician or someone who could predict the future. Sadly, most of his many writings are lost. We only know about them from small pieces saved by other authors.

Nigidius's Political Life

Nigidius became a member of the Roman Senate by 63 BC. He might have been an aedile (an official in charge of public buildings and games) in 60 BC. He could also have been a tribune of the plebs (a protector of common people's rights) in 59 BC. He definitely served as a praetor in 58 BC.

Later, from 52 to 51 BC, he worked as a legate (an assistant to a governor) in the Roman province of Asia. He left Asia in July 51 BC.

Some historians, like Arnaldo Momigliano, have wondered how Nigidius could be both a politician and interested in magic. Momigliano suggested that people like Nigidius used these practices to try and understand the fast-changing world around them. They were looking for new ways to connect with the gods.

Even Varro, another famous scholar, asked for a Pythagorean funeral. This shows that interest in these ideas was common among important Romans.

Nigidius was a strong supporter of the conservative side in the Senate. However, not all Pythagoreans in Rome thought the same way politically. For example, Publius Vatinius, another well-known Pythagorean, was a strong supporter of Caesar.

The three most important Roman thinkers of that time—Cicero, Varro, and Nigidius—all supported Pompey in the civil war. After Caesar won, he was kind to Varro and even asked him to help create a public library in Rome. Both Cicero and Varro wrote many of their works about religion during Caesar's time as dictator. But even with Cicero's help, Nigidius died in exile, meaning he was forced to live outside Rome, and never received a pardon.

Nigidius's Studies and Interests

According to Cicero, Nigidius tried to bring back the ideas of Pythagoreanism. This ancient philosophy included studies in mathematics, astronomy, and astrology. It also involved secret knowledge from the magical tradition.

It is said that Nigidius predicted the future greatness of Octavian, who would later become the first Roman emperor, Augustus. He supposedly made this prediction on the day Octavian was born. Another story, told by Apuleius, says that Nigidius used "magic boys" to help find some lost money.

His major work was called Commentarii grammatici, which had at least 29 books. This was a huge collection of notes on language, grammar, and ancient customs (antiquarianism). Nigidius believed that the meaning of words came from nature, not from humans. He cared a lot about orthography, which is the correct way to spell words. He tried to use special marks to show different meanings for words that looked similar.

In etymology, which is the study of where words come from, he tried to find Roman explanations for words. For example, he thought the word frater (meaning "brother") came from fere alter, which means "practically another (self)." The writer Quintilian also mentioned a book by Nigidius called De gestu, which was about public speaking.

Nigidius's scholarly approach was similar to Varro's, combining grammar with ancient history. However, Nigidius's unique interest in secret knowledge and science made him stand out. He wrote two books about the celestial sphere (the apparent sphere of the sky). One book was about the Greek system, and the other was about non-Greek systems, like Egyptian astrology.

His work on astrology was influenced by the Etruscan people. It later influenced other writers, like Martianus Capella. Nigidius also wrote books about winds and animals.

He wrote about theology (the study of religion) and other religious topics, like divination (predicting the future). These works included De Diis ("About the Gods"), which looked at different religious groups and ceremonies. He also wrote books on divination, such as De augurio privato and De extis (which covered haruspicy, predicting the future by examining animal insides). He even wrote about interpreting dreams in his book De somniis.

A literary historian named Gian Biaggio Conte noted that we don't have many of Nigidius's writings left. This is surprising because people admired him so much. Conte believes this loss is due to how vast and often unclear his works were.

Nigidius in Literature

The Roman poet Lucan included Nigidius in his epic poem Bellum civile (also known as the Pharsalia). At the end of the first book, Lucan shows Nigidius making scary predictions, partly based on his astrological readings. Later, in 1597, the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler discussed the astronomy in this passage with Herwart von Hohenburg in their letters.

Images for kids

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  The Liver of Piacenza, an Etruscan model in bronze of a sheep's liver used for haruspicy (predicting the future).