Lucius Apuleius Platonicus (c. 123/125 – c. 180) was a Latin prose writer remembered most for his bawdy picaresque novel, the Metamorphoses, otherwise known as The Golden Ass (Asinus Aureus). Apuleius was a Romanized Berber who described himself as "half-Numidian half-Gaetulian."
He was born in Madaurus (now M'Daourouch, Algeria), a Roman colony in Numidia on the North African coast, bordering Gaetulia. This is the same colonia where Saint August...
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Lucius Apuleius Platonicus (c. 123/125 – c. 180) was a Latin prose writer remembered most for his bawdy picaresque novel, the Metamorphoses, otherwise known as The Golden Ass (Asinus Aureus). Apuleius was a Romanized Berber who described himself as "half-Numidian half-Gaetulian."
He was born in Madaurus (now M'Daourouch, Algeria), a Roman colony in Numidia on the North African coast, bordering Gaetulia. This is the same colonia where Saint Augustine later received part of his early education, and, though located well away from the Romanized coast, is today the site of some pristine Roman ruins. Details regarding his life come mostly from his defense speech (see below) and a work entitled "Florida," which consists of snippets taken from some of his best speeches.
Apuleius inherited a substantial fortune from his father, a provincial magistrate. Apuleius studied with a master at Carthage (where he later settled) and later at Athens, where he studied Platonic philosophy among other...
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