person
Hagesaretus of Larisa
Hagesaretus
also: Hagesaretus, Hagesaretus Larisaeus, Hagesaretus of Larisa
Leading citizen (princeps civitatis) of Larisa in Thessaly. During Cicero's consulship of 63 BC he received beneficia from Cicero and showed lasting gratitude, becoming Cicero's hospes (guest-friend) and intimate. Cicero commends him to Servius Sulpicius Rufus, proconsul of Achaea, in Fam. 13.25. He is otherwise unattested beyond this letter.
Reading notes
- Ad Familiares 13.25 §1 Hagesaretus of Larisa
Hagesaretus (a Thessalian Greek name) is described as the leading citizen (princeps civitatis) of Larisa, the principal city of Thessaly. His prominence in a key Greek city explains both why Cicero cultivated him during his consulship of 63 BC and why Servius Sulpicius, as proconsul of Achaea, could exercise useful patronage over him.
- Ad Familiares 13.25 §1 the leading citizen of his town
Princeps civitatis suae (leading citizen of his city) is a standard Roman honorific for the most prominent local magnate; Larisa was the chief city of Thessaly and its leading man would carry weight with the Roman provincial governor of Achaea.