Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (Quintilian)
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (Quintilian)
First Century c.e.
Professor of rhetoric
A State Employee. Quintilian was born around 30 C.E. at Calagurris in Spain. Educated at least in part at Rome, he became a well-known teacher of rhetoric and among his pupils was the younger Pliny. Quintilian is said to be the first teacher whose salary was paid by the state. Also a legal advocate, Quintilian defended the Jewish Queen Berenice. His writings include Institutio oratoria (Oratorical Training), from which we learn a great deal about contemporary expectations regarding the education of children and young men. Quintilian had hoped that his two sons might live up to these expectations, but sadly they died at the ages of 5 and 9. Quintilian’s works are often considered in light of their contribution to ancient literary criticism.
Sources
George A. Kennedy, The Art of Rhetoric in the Roman World (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1972).
Kennedy,Quintilian (New York: Twayne, 1969).