Seneca the Younger on the Roman herm | Na licencji Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Seneca the Younger, living in the 1st century CE, the famous Roman Stoic, called the Philosopher, eulogist of heroic ethics, in his life, contrary to appearances, was not guided by beautiful beliefs. He was the tutor of Emperor Nero, at the beginning of his reign he had considerable influence at the court, which he scrupulously used.
All crimes and crimes of Nero allowed him to accumulate a significant fortune. After the murder of Britannia, the son of the deceased Emperor Claudius, his fortune was divided, where his share was presumably had Seneca.
The writer and philosopher also had numerous estates: not only in Rome but also in Egypt, Spain and southern Italy. Interestingly, his fortune was so large that he was able to grant a loan of 40 million sesterces to new subjects – the Britons (around 60 CE the province Britania was created) – for comparison, the annual pay of a Roman legionary was about 900 sestertii. The subsequent call for debt only infuriated the Britons, who eventually sparked an uprising.
Seneca, calling for modesty and moderation in wealth, was privately to amass a fortune of 300 million sestertii, which mainly came from loans granted in Italy and provinces.
- Cassius Dio, Roman history, LXII.2
- Tacitus, Annals XIII.42
