The Scholar Of Bula-Bula
The Roman republic existed from the 1st century BCE until the 6th century CE. During those years of the republic, emperors acted as official heads of state and used their powers to grow their empire and conquer more lands. For centuries the Roman empire controlled territoires stretching as far west as the Iberian peninsula and as far east as Syria. To effectively run the empire, regional governors were appointed to oversee and manage roman controlled provinces. Quintus Livy Aurelius was an aide to three different emperors and the acting deputy chief overseeing all regional governors between the years of 72 BCE until his death in 51 BCE.
Aurelius was a man who scholars believe was born in the region of eastern Turkey known as Bula-Bula. Originally Aurelius was barred from holding a position within the administration because he was not born from a patrician family. However Aurelius was believed to have been able to speak more than a dozen languages and was considered by his peers to be a genius. Aurelius spoke Turkish, Greek, Bhantu, ancient Egyptian, Punic dialects, and he spoke latin which was the official language of rome. As a young orphan on the streets of Ephesus, Aurelius would load and unload merchant ships from around the world coming to trade their goods. In return for his labor Aurelius would ask for payment in the form of philosophy, mathematics, rhetoric, and foreign languages lessons.
At twenty years old aurelius was made pilot-captain of a merchant vessel as various accounts state. He sailed to rome in search of knowledge. His mastery of language, business, and politics made him an indispensable aide to the emperor Julius Gaius.
- Max Lacerca