Antinous

For the constellation, see Antinous (constellation)

For the mythological figure, see Antinous son of Eupeithes

Antinous or Antinoös (Greek: ) born circa 110 or 111 CE, died 130 CE), was the lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian

Biography

He was born to a Greek family in Bithynion-Claudiopolis, in the Roman province of Bithynia in what is now north-west Turkey. It is thought he joined the entourage of the Emperor when Hadrian passed through Bithynia in about 124, and soon became his eromenos (lover) who accompanied him on his many journies trough the empire. Another version has it Hadrian had the empire searched for the most beautiful youth, and choose Antinous. Their relationship is understood to have followed the pattern of traditional Greek pederastic love affairs.

In October 130, Antinous died by drowning in the Nile. It is not known if his death was the result of accident, suicide, murder or religious sacrifice. One theory has it that his relationship with Hadrian was socially acceptable until he reached adulthood, and then he had to die, since he might no longer be the passive party in intercourse within the relationship.

Legacy

After his death, the grief of the emperor knew no bounds, causing the most extravagant respect to be paid to his memory. Not only were cities called after him, medals struck with his effigy, and statues erected to him in all parts of the empire, but he was also raised to the rank of the gods, temples were built for his worship in Bithynia, Mantineia in Arcadia, and Athens, festivals celebrated in his honour and oracles delivered in his name. The city of Antinoöpolis or Antinoe was founded on the ruins of Besa where he died (Dio Cassius lix. 11; Spartianus, Hadrian).

After deification, Antinous was associated with and depicted as the Ancient Egyptian god Osiris, associated with the rebirth of the Nile. Antinous was also depicted as the Roman Bacchus, a god related to fertility, cutting vine leaves.

As a result, Antinous is one of the best-preserved faces from the ancient world. Many busts, gems and coins represent Antinous as the ideal type of youthful beauty, often with the attributes of some special god. They include a colossal bust in the Vatican, a bust in the Louvre, a bas-relief from the Villa Albani, a statue in the Capitoline museum, another in Berlin, another in the Lateran and one in the Fitzwilliam Museum; and many more may be seen in museums across Europe. There are also statues in many archaeological museums in Greece including the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the archaeological museums of Patras, Chalkis and Delphi. Although these are obviously idealised images, they demonstrate what all contemporary writers described as Antinous's extraordinary beauty.

Image:Antinous Mandragone profil.jpg|Antinous Mondragone at the Vatican Museums Image:Antinous Ecouen.jpg|Antinous Ecouen, from Villa Adriana at Tivoli Image:Delphiantinous.jpg|From Delphi Image:NAMA Antinoüs.jpg|From Athens Image:Anderson, James (1813-1877), Antinoo ai Musei vaticani, ca. 1860..jpg|Vatican Museums, colossal bust, from Villa Adriana Image:Antinoo-Bacco - Roma - Musei capitolini - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto - 15-08-2000.jpg|As Bacchus, Capitoline Museums Image:Antinous Pio-Clementino Inv256.jpg|As Bacchus, Vatican Image:Antinous imperial cult Louvre Ma1781.jpg|Louvre Museum Image:Antinoo Farnese - Napoli, Museo Archeologico nazionale - foto di Giorgio Sommer (1834-1914).jpg|Antinous Farnese, Naples National Archaeological Museum Image:Antinous Albani Musei Capitolini.jpg|Antinous Albani, Capitoline Museums, from Tivoli Image:Antinoos.PNG|Villa Albani relief from the Torlonia collection, Rome Image:Antinous Dionysos Terme.jpg|Relief, as Dionysus, National Museum of Rome

Sources and references

^*
Marguerite Yourcenar's 1951 historical novel, Memoirs of Hadrian (Mémoires d'Hadrien) is a fictional account of the relationship, as told by the Emperor
Dietrich, Antinoos (1884)
Dynes, Wayne R. Antinous. 2Dynes, Wayne R. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Homosexuality. New York and London, Garland Publishing, 1990 pp. 67-68.
Ebers, Der Kaiser (1881).
Laban, Der Gemütsausdruck des Antinoos (1891)
Lambert, R., Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous (New York, 1984)
Levezow, Über den Antinous (1808)
Antinoüs, A Romance of Ancient Rome, from the German of A. Hausrath, by M. Saftord (New York, 1882)

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Antinous

Biography

Legacy

Sources and references

External links