The Herodes Atticus Affair

Presenter: Dr Jennifer Manley (UQ)

Fronto, the tutor of Marcus Aurelius, was also one of the empire’s leading lawyers. This placed him in the unenviable position of prosecuting members of the imperial household’s wide social network. At some point in the early 140s AD, Fronto was called on to prosecute the infamous Athenian Herodes Atticus, who was also Marcus Aurelius’ personal friend. This paper focuses on the letters in which Marcus Aurelius attempts to have Fronto abandon the case, and examines political pressure ‘from above’ and within the Antonine court, along with Fronto’s response to it.