person
Dionysius (slave of Cicero)
Dionysius
also: Dionysius servus
A slave of Cicero who managed his valuable library, stole many books, falsely claimed to have been manumitted, and fled to Illyricum, where he was seen at Narona (Fam. 13.77, 46 BC). Distinct from the several free men named Dionysius in the corpus, including Cicero's learned freedman M. Pomponius Dionysius.
Reading notes
- Ad Familiares 5.10a §1 your Dionysius
Dionysius, the runaway slave who had managed Cicero's library, stolen books, and fled to Illyricum; Cicero had asked Vatinius to track him down, and Vatinius reports he has so far found nothing.
- Ad Familiares 5.11 §3 About Dionysius
The slave who managed Cicero's library, stole many books, falsely claimed to have been freed, and fled to Illyricum; the runaway Vatinius is hunting in 5.9. Cicero asks Vatinius to deal with him and, if he proves a scoundrel, to parade him as a captive.
- Ad Familiares 13.77 §3 Dionysius, my slave, who handled my library
A literate slave entrusted with a wealthy Roman's library would catalogue, copy, and maintain the book-rolls; such men were valuable and the loss of one with his master's books was a real grievance. This Dionysius is not to be confused with Cicero's freedman scholar M. Pomponius Dionysius.