Who was Mardonius the philosopher?
Mardonius was a eunuch of Gothic origin who grew up as a slave in the household of Julius Julianus. He served as a Goth-Roman rhetorician, philosopher and educator to the future emperor Julian.
Mardonius was a eunuch of Gothic origin who grew up as a slave in the household of Julius Julianus. He served as a Goth-Roman rhetorician, philosopher and educator to the future emperor Julian.
Since 338 Julian lived in the household of his grandfather with Mardonius serving as his tutor. The seven-year-old orphan Julian and Mardonius developed a close emotional bond during these years while studying Socrates Plato Aristotle and Homer together.
Emperor Constantius II issued an imperial decree forbidding instruction in ancient Greek philosophy but Mardonius ignored this order completely. This secret education continued despite the explicit prohibition from the highest office in Rome so the young prince found solace in texts that were officially banned from his curriculum.
Julian was separated from Mardonius at the age of 11. That event remained one of the most painful moments of his life yet they frequently visited each other for dinner in Constantinople after Julian assumed the position of emperor.
Mardonius instructed Julian to walk modestly with eyes fixed on the ground which contrasted sharply with the swaggery fashion common among Roman elites at the time. It is likely that this upbringing contributed to Julian's later decision to abandon Christianity because Mardonius held a particular disdain for entertainment and public spectacles.