Maximinus Thrax in Copenhagen

Maximinus Thrax is the emperor most commonly associated with the third century battlefield found at Kalefeld in Germany. Comparatively little is known about him. I collected the main sources in a post a while ago, but here is a (garbled) version fron the Suda that confuses Maximinus Thrax and the fourth century emperor Maximinus Daia:

[Maximinus], emperor of the Romans. This man, after taking over the imperial rule, made quite a change by employing his power very quickly and with much terror, and he tried to turn everything from a tame empire into the savageness of a tyranny. He was by nature a barbarian in character as well as in race, for his murderous behavior was hereditary. And so without delay he did away with all of Alexander’s friends who accompanied him, and the council had been selected by the senate, since he wanted to be the only one with the army and to have no one with him out of consciousness of nobility. He killed the majority of them through suspicion of plots against him. Ruling the East, he made excessive displays of his foul and unnatural acts and particularly a cruel and inhuman persecution against the Christians in all the East. In this persecution very many of the glorious were martyred. And he suffered things that were worthy of his impiety and preambles to the coming punishment he would receive — he contracted the most awful sickness, and severe pains racked his whole body. His internal organs wasted away under the most penetrating and powerful burning, and his flesh all melted away like wax. As he was being violently roasted and melted, his very bones were roasted too so that even the very image of his human form disappeared. As he was pitifully rotting away, he exuded such a stench that it was no different from the smell of decayed bodies in tombs. Then, after taking a short breath and letting out a groan, he died.

Macimi=noj, basileu\j (Rwmai/wn. ou(=toj paralabw\n th\n a)rxh\n pollh\n th\n metabolh\n e)poih/sato, traxu/tata kai\ meta\ pollou= fo/bou th=? e)cousi/a? xrw/menoj, e)/k te h(me/rou basilei/aj ei)j turanni/doj w)mo/thta metagagei=n pa/nta e)peira=to. fu/sei de\ h)=n to\ h)=qoj w(/sper kai\ to\ ge/noj ba/rbaroj to/ te foniko\n pa/trion e)/xwn. eu)qe/wj ou)=n tou/j te fi/louj pa/ntaj, oi(\ sunh=san tw=? )Aleca/ndrw?, su/nedroi/ te u(po\ th=j sugklh/tou e)pilexqe/ntej a)peskeua/sato, boulo/menoj mo/noj ei)=nai e)n tw=? stratw=? kai\ mhde/na au)tw=? parei=nai e)k suneidh/sewj eu)genou=j. plei/stouj de\ au)tw=n kai\ a)pe/kteinen, e)piboula\j u(popteu/wn. basileu/wn de\ th=j e(w/?aj polla\ miara\ kai\ a)/topa kaq' u(perbolh\n e)pedei/cato kai\ pro\j tou/toij diwgmo\n a)phnh= kai\ a)pa/nqrwpon kata\ pa=san a)natolh\n ei)j tou\j Xristianou/j, kaq' o(\n plei=stoi tw=n eu)doki/mwn e)martu/rhsan. a)/cia de\ th=j dussebei/aj au)tou= prooi/mia th=j mellou/shj au)to\n diade/xesqai kola/sewj ei)ko/twj pe/ponqe: no/sw? ga\r deinota/th? peripeso/ntoj, a)lghdo/nej i)sxurai\ th\n pa=san sa/rka au)tou= dielumai/nonto: kai\ ta\ me\n e)/gkata diefqei/ronto u(po\ th=j e)ndomuxou/shj sfodrota/thj purw/sewj, h( de\ sa\rc pa=sa khrou= di/khn e)ceth/keto: labrote/rwj de\ flogizome/nw? kai\ thganizome/nw? kai\ au)ta\ sunefru/ghsan ta\ o)sta=, w(/ste e)cafanisqh=nai kai\ to\n xarakth=ra th=j a)nqrwpi/nhj morfh=j. e)leeinw=j de\ katashpo/menoj tosau/thn duswdi/an e)ce/pempen, w(j ou)de\n tw\n e)n ta/foij dialuqe/ntwn diafe/rein. o( de\ braxu\ e)mpne/wn kai\ stena/caj a)pe/qane.

Comments

[Colin]

Thanks for this. By coincidence I have done a blog post on the same subject a couple of days ago, if you or your readers are interested in comparing notes.

http://historybooksreview.blogspot.com/2010/11/barbarian-emperor-gibbons-decline-and.html

[adrianmurdoch]

Thanks so much for sharing that. Much appreciated.

[judith weingarten]

For my sins, I too did a Maximinus post (way back in 2007), linking him to 'The Mystery of Monte del Grano': http://judithweingarten.blogspot.com/2007/06/maximinus-and-mystery-of-monte-del.html Still worth reading, I think.