Argentarius

A Greek rhetor and native Greek speaker, he declaimed in Latin when at Rome. He should perhaps be identified with the Greek poet Marcus Argentarius who is represented in the Palatine Anthology by 37 epigrams. Seneca’s nephew the poet Lucan married a woman named Argentaria Polla, who may be his granddaughter: she was very learned. Despite the fact that he was Cestius Pius’ pupil, he and Cestius hated each other: he used to swear by the manes of Cestius while Cestius was still very much living and Cestius called him his monkey (Contr. 9.3.12).