Maecenas, Gaius
Maecenas, GaiusMaecenas is his nomen (hereditary family-name): ‘Cilnius’ (Tacitus Annales 6. 11) may be his mother's name, perhaps descended from an ancient Etruscan family, the Cilnii of Arretium (Livy 10. 3. 2). The poets call Maecenas scion of Etruscan kings (Horace Carmina 1. 1. 1). Among Octavian's earliest supporters—he fought at Philippi (42 BC)—he was his intimate and trusted friend and agent. (See Augustus.) His great position rested entirely on this: he never held a magistracy or entered the senate, remaining an eques (see equites). He arranged Octavian's marriage with Scribonia, and represented him at the negotiations of the pact of Brundisium (40 BC) and that of Tarentum (37 BC), when he took along his poets (Horace Satirae 1. 5). He went as envoy to Mark Antony in 38, and in 36–33 and 31–29 he was in...
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