Nomenclator – slave who recalled names
This post is also available in: Polish (polski)
Fresco showing a slave carrying his master's trousers
In ancient Rome, there was a special type of slave called a nomenclator whose job was to remind the Roman patrician of the names of everyone he met.
In a society where connections and social networks were crucial to political career and prestige, the ability to remember names was valuable. A nomenclator would accompany his master on the streets and whisper the names of passersby so he could greet them politely—building his reputation as a man “close to the people.”
Sources
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Cicero, De oratore, II.279
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