Agennius Urbicus (390 – 410 CE)
The earliest MSS transmitting the most important remains of the ancient Latin prose
treatises on surveying and/or similar topics, namely the two halves of the Arcerianus, con-
tain also Urbicus’ work On land disputes (de controuersiis). Owing to damage suffered by the
Arcerianus, the preface and the conclusion of Urbicus’ work are both lost: a text largely
rearranged by Lachmann and Thulin survives.
After explaining technicalities of land surveying, Urbicus treats the globe and its four
parts made by the Oceans, following a Stoic source. Since part of this land is under Roman
rule, Urbicus aims at illustrating what were the “types” (genera), “conditions” (statu ̄s) and
“effects” (effectu ̄s) of 15 different types of land disputes and how to settle them (the key issue),
along with instructions on both Roman law (as for possession/ownership) and surveying
technique (the nature and identification of any kind of boundary marker and land division)
that trainees had to know. Lachmann argued Urbicus largely drew on F (as is
clearly the case with controuersia de proprietate, “dispute about ownership”: Frontinus, p. 15.1– 7
La. and Agennius, p. 79.13–22 La.), whereas Thulin suggested a 1st c. CE unknown main
source.
The same manuscript tradition of land-surveying texts also falsely attributed to Urbicus a
commentary on the first two sections of Frontinus’ handbook, which for textual reasons
must be dated to ca 450 – 550 CE.
Ed.: F. Bluhme, K. Lachmann, A Rudorff, Die Schriften der römischen Feldmsser, 2 vols. (1848–1852);
Thulin (1913).
RE 1.1 (1893) 773, W. Kubitschek; Campbell (2000) –.
Mauro de Nardis
Age ̄sias of Megara (250 BCE – 200 CE)
If not a mistake for H M, this otherwise unknown author is cited for
crane ethology by the P V (§1).
RE 1.1 (1893) 795 (#3), E. Schwartz.
PTK
Age ̄sistratos (100 – 50 BCE)
Studied under A A and tutored A M., modified
designs for spring-frames, using oval instead of round washers, creating more powerful
catapults with greater range (Athe ̄n. Mech. p. 8 W.; V 7.pr.14). The name is
especially common on Rhodes (LGPN 1.10), where his teacher worked.
Cichorius, Römische Studien (1922) 271–279.
GLIM
A ⇒ A
Aglaias of Buzantion (40 – 70 CE)
Two 15th c. MSS, Ambr. A 162 sup./Gr. 58 and Marc. gr. Z. 480, transmit under the name
of Aglaias from Buzantion 28 verses (14 elegiac couplets), containing a prescription for
AGLAIAS OF BUZANTION