10 African Greco-Romans That Show Gladiator II’s Macrinus Could Have Existed

Gladiator II is getting all the buzz, particularly because of Denzel Washington’s scene-stealing character Macrinus.

The character is hungry for power and prestige as he tries to take Rome for himself, and while we all know Washington can act with the best of them, some out there are calling his character “woke propaganda.” To them, there couldn’t have been any African people, much less powerful ones, in ancient Rome. The joke’s on them though: history is full of accounts of African Greeks and Romans who not only influenced culture around them, but continues to influence our lives today.

Check out 10 examples of Ancient Greco-Romans who hailed from Africa and went on to become great leaders in philosophy, drama, and politics.

1. African Romans

Let’s start at the beginning and establish the scene. African people have existed everywhere for all time–that includes ancient Rome and Greece. African Romans (or Roman Africans) lived primarily in North Africa, which was colonized by Rome as part of the Roman empire. Think about how Cleopatra (whose ethnicity has been argued about for decades but was an African national) was the ruler of a Romanized Egypt.

North African countries including Algeria, Western Libya, Northern Morocco and Tunisia, were part of the Roman empire. Ethnically, many African Romans were Punics or Berbers as well as Italian Romans who came to the region.

2. African Greeks

Similarly, African Greeks also existed, such as Coptic Greeks in Egypt’s Ptolemaic period, Grecian Ethiopia including major cities Axum, Ptolemais Theron, Tigray and Adulis, and the Libyan region of Cyrenaica. Nubia also had major ties to ancient Greece, which included trade and Grecian expeditions. Eventually, however, the Grecian Axumite Empire of Ethiopia took over Nubia, thereby bringing Nubia even more contact with Greece, albeit unwillingly.

Despite the reasons behind why North Africa was intertwined with Greece and Rome, many African luminaries arose to prominence. One of whom is theorized to carry the name of Ethiopia itself.

3. Aesop

You’ve heard about Aesop’s Fables, but we don’t really know much about the man himself. Turns out, the infamous Grecian fabulist might have been Ethiopian.

I wrote in my book, The Book of Awesome Black Americans, how Aesop has been theorized to be an Ethiopian man whose name literally means “Ethiopian.” In other words, his name isn’t so much a name as it is a description–he’s “the Ethiopian.”

Scholars argue over if he was Ethiopian or not (I’d like to believe so), but the fact remains that a contemporary description of him described him as a dark-skinned man. An anonymous author who wrote Aesop Romance described Aesop as “of loathsome aspect…potbellied, misshapen of head, snub-nosed, swarthy, dwarfish, bandy-legged, short-armed, squint-eyed, liver-lipped–a portentous monstrosity.”

The veracity of even this description has been up for debate by scholars. But if it is to be believed, Aesop was “swarthy,” which is an old-timey word (or even a slur) for “darker-skinned.” Other slurs in this description, like “liver-lipped,” also paint a portrait of someone who would stick out in Roman Italy due to his racial features. Also, an ancient Delphi coin is thought to have the relief of Aesop engraved on the front. The engraving shows a man who looks African, wearing a peculiar hat.

One Piece fans might also want to take a second look at the character Usopp as well. Even though I have no proof that Enchiro Oda knew anything about the supposed African origins of Aesop, it’s interesting to me that Usopp is a character who tells tall tales about himself, evoking the tall tales that Aesop probably told as he created his stories. Usopp is also darker-skinned and, according to Oda, is African. Even the two names are similar. Was Oda inspired by Aesop? I think so.

4. Septimus Severus

Septimus Severus is one of ancient Rome’s most storied rulers, and he got his start in Lepcis Magna, part of present-day Libya. He was born in the North African country to an Italian mother and a father who descended from the elite Punic Septimii family.

He became a senator under Marcus Aurelius and steadily rose in the ranks. But he made his name after Commodus, Marcus Aurelius’ son and successor, was assassinated in AD 192. Soon after that, Commodus’ successor, Publius Helvius Pertinax, was also assassinated, but this time by his own bodyguards, the Praetorian Guard. The Guard then awarded leadership of Rome to Marcus Didius Julianus.

With so much upheaval, Severus was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers and backed by Roman Britain’s governor, Decimus Clodius Albinus. Severus came into Rome after Julianus was killed, and defeated his rival for the throne, Gaius Pescennius Niger. He then recreated the Praetorian Guard into a group that was loyal to him, and began consolidating his power, which included defeating his former ally Albinus.

Severus’ legacy can be seen in Hadrian’s Wall, part of Roman Britain’s protection against attacks. Severus also oversaw the building of several British granaries, army bases and more.

5. Terence

Ancient Roman playwright Terence was born in Carthage, part of modern-day Tunisia. He’s known as the greatest comedic playwright of Ancient Rome after Plautus. Elements of his work can be found in today’s modern comedy of manners.

There is not much credible history on Terence’s life aside from his birth and some portions of his early life. What is agreed upon is that he was originally enslaved by a Roman senator named Terentius Lucanus. The senator became fond of Terence and granted him a lavish education and freedom. Terence authored six plays in his life, including Andria (The Andrian Girl), Hecyra (The Mother-in Law), Heauton timoroumenos (The Self-Tormenor), Eunuchus (The Eunuch), Phormio and Aldephi (or Adelphoe; The Brothers). His plays became popular, with Hecrya and Eunuchus having several repeat performances and productions.

Like other dramatists of the time, Terence drew from Greek comedies and was particularly faithful to his Greek creative predecessors. But other rivals, such as Luscius Lanuvinus, tried to accuse Terence of copying Grecian work and passing it off as his own.

6. Fronto of Cirta

Marcus Cornelius Fronto was a Roman scholar who was born in Cirta (which is now modern-day Constantine, Algeria) and was of Berber origin. He described himself as a Libyan descended from nomadic Libyans and became a grammarian, orator and rhetorician.

In his time, he was as prominent as Quintilian, Cato and Cicero. But now all of his orations are lost except for excerpts which may or may not be wrongly attributed to him. Loss seems to be theme with Fronto’s life, since he also lost all of his children except for a daughter.

7. Salvius Julianus

Salvius Julianus, also known as Julian the Jurist or Julianus, was a Tunisian Roman who became one of Ancient Rome’s most respected politician, public official and jurist. Julianus worked throughout the reigns of emperors Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, and Arelius’ co-Emperor and adoptive brother Lucius Verus.

Julianus’ legacy includes The Praetor’s Edict, which served as a ancient Rome’s most influential legal text. Julianus was tasked by Hadrian to collect all of the Prateors’ Edicts available at that time and revise them, leading to the text that became the go-to for ancient Roman senators. While Julianus didn’t necessarily write all of The Praetor’s Edict, Julianus did write a legal treatise named Digesta, which also became equally as comprehensive and respected.

8. St. Augustine

St. Augustine, also known of St. Augustine of Hippo, was born in Tagaste, Numidia, which is now known as Souk Ahras, Algeria. St. Augustine is considered “the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul,” and his works are still regarded as some of the foremost texts on Christian philosophy. Some of his most important writings include Confessions and The City of God.

St. Augustine’s career path took him to Rome and Milan, where he taught before, like a lot of us in our careers, reached a personal impasse and decided to go back home. He spent time as a cultured squire and raising his son before tragedy hit. His son died, and he was left with no one to pass his family’s property to. With no other options, he unwillingly became a junior clergyman in Hippo, the city north of his home. However, it’s this tragedy that led him to become the person and scholar we know today, and his ability to make dense topics digestible to everyday readers is why he has remained one of the foremost Christian thinkers of Western history.

9. Dracontius

Dracontius was also a Christian scholar who became “the foremost Christian Latin poet of Africa.”

Dracontius lived during Vandal rule in Carthage and initially worked as a lawyer. He did run afoul of the Vandals by having in his possession a poem that praised the Roman emperor instead of Vandal king Gunthamund. Dracontius used his writing ability to craft Satisfactio, a poetic plea to Gunthamund for his release.

Apparently, we can surmise it worked, since Dracontius continued to write Christian poetry, including what is considered his most important poem, De laudibus dei.

10. Apuleius of Madauros

Apuleius was a Platonist philosopher, rhetorician, and Latin-language prose writer. Born in Algeria, he studied abroad in Athens and had adventures in Egypt, Rome and Asia Minor. Some of those adventures included him becoming a member of several cults (also called “mysteries”).

Apuleius’ lavish and eccentric life is based on the fact that he was part of the Algerian elite; his father was a municipal magistrate who, upon his death, left Apuleius and his brother a sum of almost two million sesterces. Apuleius didn’t manage his inheritance at all, since he essentially spent all of it for his religious and philosophical studies.

His interest in religion also bled into his interest in the occult, such as his membership in Greco-Roman mysteries such as the Dionysian Mysteries. He also was said to be a priest of Asclepius and a Carthaginian priest. His interest in the occult and magic opened him up to being accused of bewitching a wealthy widow and was brought to trial. Apuleius’ defense, called Apologia (A Discourse on Magic) is still read today.

Apuleius’ life still had more twists and turns, including him accusing one of his enemies of not only turning his home into a brothel, but also pimping out his wife. But overall, Apuleius was known in his time as a great orator and figure.

Final notes: History is not a vacuum

Washington’s character Macrinus doesn’t exist in a vacuum; there are plenty of African Greco-Romans who provide background for how someone like Macrinus can exist in Gladiator II. What do you think about this list? Give your opinions below!