Thrasyllus of Mendes whose full name was Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus (flourished 1st century BCE & 1st century, died 36 CE, Greek: ὁ Τιβερίος Κλαύδιος Θράσιλλος or ὁ Θράσιλλος της Μένδης). Thrasyllus was an Egyptian Greek from Mendes Egypt. Although he is often mentioned in secondary sources as coming from Alexandria (Oxford Classical Dictionary), no primary source confirms this origin. It is possible that Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus, the astrologer of Tiberius who is famously mentioned in Tacitus (Annals of Rome) and Suetonius (Lives of the Caesars) was not the same individual as Thrasyllus of Mendes.
Although Thrasyllus of Mendes was an Alexandrian grammarian and editor of Plato and Democritus, Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus is most well-known as the astrologer of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Thrasyllus encountered the future Emperor, putative heir to the first Roman Emperor Augustus, on the Greek island of Rhodes, where Tiberius had been exiled. Thrasyllus predicted that Tiberius would soon be recalled to Rome and officially named Augustus' successor, and remained close to him during the intervening years and the years of his reign, receiving the valuable gift of Roman citizenship for himself and his wife Aka II of Commagene, who might have been either a granddaughter or great-granddaughter of King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, and therefore a Princess.
Tiberius’ daughter-in-law Livilla consulted him during her affair with Tiberius' chief minister Sejanus, and Thrasyllus persuaded the Tiberius to leave Rome for Capri while clandestinely supporting Sejanus. Thrasyllus' son-in-law Naevius Sutorius Macro carried out the orders that destroyed Sejanus, whether with Thrasyllus’ knowledge is unclear. Thrasyllus remained on Capri with Tiberius advising him on his relationship with the various claimants to the succession, and favoring Tiberius’ great-nephew Caligula whom his daughter Eunia was having a tempestuous affair. By falsely predicting Tiberius' longevity, the astrologer saved the lives of a number of noble Romans suspected falsely of plotting against the Emperor; believing Thrasyllus implicitly, Tiberius was confident that he would outlive any plotters, and so failed to act against them. Thrasyllus predeceased the Emperor, and did not live to see the realization of his prediction that Caligula would succeed.
Thrasyllus was the author of a Pinax which is lost, but has been summarized in later sources (CCAG [Catalogue of the Codices of the Greek Astrologers] 8/3: 99-101) which borrows from astrological notions found in Nechepso/Petosiris (see article on Hellenistic astrology) and Hermes Trismegistus, early pseudepigraphical sources of astrology. He is cited by Vettius Valens, Porphyry and Hephaistio.
With Aka II, Thrasyllus had two children: a son Tiberius Claudius Balbilus and a daughter Eunia, who married the Praetorian Prefect Naevius Sutorius Macro. Through his son, he would become the paternal grandfather of Claudia Capitolina, who would marry the Greek Prince from the Kingdom of Commagene called Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes. Through Capitolina, Thrasyllus would become the great, grandfather of her children with Epiphanes who were: prince Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos and princess Julia Balbilla.
According to the Encyclopaedia Judaica, Thrasyllus wrote that the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt took place in 1690 BC. The sections include:
References
External links
- Thrasyllus's astrological ability tested by Emperor Tiberius (The Annals of Rome, by P. Cornelius Tacitus - Book 1.6)
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