This fellow is another character from my Byzantine Codex text. He is "Hyginus," a highly educated slave in the court of Heliodorus the eunuch shipmaster. He doesn't have a big part in the story. I put him in as an analogue of one of my Greek professors at Brandeis. His name was Higgins so I gave him the name "Hyginus" which not only resembles Higgins but means "clean" in ancient Greek.
I never gave Hyginus a story or character action. Educated people could be kept as slaves in the ancient world, to do jobs like teaching, language interpretation, accounts, and even espionage. Educated and skilled slaves could earn and keep money. Hyginus was probably a youthful high-ranking captive from some military campaign in Britain or Europe, who gained enough proficiency to make him valuable to a business big shot like Heliodorus. Hyginus expected to buy his freedom with his earnings, but I never found out whether he did.
Ink and watercolor on sketchbook page, about 5" x 4 1/2", spring 1975.
No comments:
Post a Comment