Chapter Seven. From Sallust To Silius Italicus

Metus Hostilis And The Fall Of Rome In The Punica

Bibliographic Data

ID23651359
AuthorsJohn Jacobs (corresponding author)
Year2010
Pages123-139
Publication date2010-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueLatin historiography and poetry in the early empire (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/ej.9789004177550.i-248.43
OpenAlexW171612202
ISBN9789004177550
LanguageEN
Citations received8

This chapter traces the development of Silius Italicus' presentation of the metus hostilis across a series of three passages. In the first passage (3.557-629), Jupiter connects the era of the Second Punic War with that of the Flavians in his conversation with Venus on Mt. Olympus. Then, in the second (7.409-493), Proteus connects the fall of Troy with that of Carthage in his conversation with the Nereids in his grotto near Capri. Finally, in the third (9.340-353), Silius explicitly identifies Cannae as the 'turning point' for both Carthage and Rome. The end the chapter discusses how Silius, like Sallust, links the removal of the metus hostilis with the transition from bellum externum to bellum civile and, ultimately, the fall of Rome. Keywords: bellum civile ; bellum externum ; Carthage; fall of Rome; fall of Troy; Flavians; metus hostilis ; Sallust; Second Punic War; Silius Italicus

Ancient history · Art · Fall of man · Geography · Political science · Politics · Punica · Traditional medicine · Augustinian Studies and Theology · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Law · Medicine · Organic Chemistry Synthesis Methods

Tools

Open DOILibgen