Androcles (or Androclus, the Latin version of the name), is a character, not definitively fictional, in tales that describe him as a slave in the Roman Empire in the early 1st century AD, about the time of Tiberius but possibly in the reign of Caligula. Slave redirects here. ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent. ... The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100 according the Gregorian calendar. ... Tiberius Caesar Augustus, born Tiberius Claudius Nero (November 16, 42 BC – March 16 AD 37), was the second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until his own death in 37. ... Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41), more commonly known by his nickname Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 37 to 41. ...

The classic tale

The earliest surviving version (that of Aulus Gellius) names him, in Latin, as Androclus, a runaway slave of a former Roman consul administering a part of Africa. He takes shelter in a cave, which turns out to be the den of an ailing wounded lion. He removes a large thorn from the animal's foot pad, forces pus from the infected wound, and bandages it. As a result, the lion recovers and becomes tame toward him, acting like a domesticated dog, including wagging its tail and bringing home game that he shares with the slave. After several years, the slave eventually craves a return to civilization, resulting in his imprisonment as a fugitive slave, and condemnation to be devoured by wild animals in the Circus Maximus of Rome. In the presence of an unnamed emperor, the most imposing of these beasts turns out to be the same lion, which again displays its dog-like benevolence toward the slave. The emperor pardons the slave on the spot, in recognition of this testimony to the power of friendship, and he is left in possession of the lion; they are described as being seen walking together through city streets. Aulus Gellius ( 125 - after 180), Latin author and grammarian, possibly of African origin, probably born and certainly brought up at Rome. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Carthage and the Berbers Phoenician traders arrived on the North African coast around 900 BC and established Carthage (in present-day Tunisia) around 800 BC. By the sixth century BC, a Phoenician presence existed at Tipasa (east of Cherchell in Algeria). ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Lions in Africa Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ... Toes on foot. ... Pus is a whitish-yellow or yellow substance produced during inflammatory responses of the body that can be found in regions of pyogenic bacterial infections. ... Bandages are also used in martial arts to prevent dislocated joints. ... Dogs and sheep were among the first animals to be domesticated. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... For other uses, see Circus Maximus (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5...

The classical literary history

The original version by Apion, who lived from the 20s BC to c. 45 AD, was in his Aegyptiaca, now lost, but Gellius presents it as saying Apion, 20s BC - c. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC - 20s BC - 10s BC 0s BC 0s 10s 20s Years: 29 BC 28 BC 27 BC 26 BC 25 BC 24 BC 23 BC 22 BC 21 BC 20 BC... Events Galba becomes the commander of Legio III Augusta. ...

Afterwards we used to see Androcles with the lion attached to a slender leash, making the rounds of the tabernae throughout the city; Androcles was given money, the lion was sprinkled with flowers, and everyone who met them anywhere exclaimed: "This is the lion, a man's friend; this is the man, a lion's doctor".^[1]

The detailed narrative above is by Gellius and thus dates from the 2nd century. The 2nd century is the period from 101 - 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ...

The stories attributed to Aesop are regarded as coming from the mid-sixth century BC, and various editions of Aesop that include close versions of the tale, with or without the name "Androcles", are not regarded as evidence of accurate attribution. Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel in 1493. ... (7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC - other centuries) (600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - other decades) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Cyrus the Great conquered many...

Further derivations

Other versions such as "Of the Remembrance of Benefits" in the Gesta Romanorum (Deeds of the Romans) of c. 1330 in England, drop the name and change the setting to a medieval one, e.g. making the slave a knight.

Others keep the Roman setting, but make Androcles a Christian and use him to present theological lessons.

Shaw's play Androcles and the Lion eliminates the slave status, and gives Androcles a wife and Christian beliefs, but has a skeptical view of both pagan and Christian belief. Androcles and the Lion is a 1912 play written by George Bernard Shaw. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.