Lugendam Formae Sine Virginitate Reliquit : Reading Pyrene and the Transformation of Landscape in Silius' Punica 3

The present thesis investigates the aemulatio engaged in the construction of the heroic characters of Silius Italicus' Punica. The trajectories of Hannibal and Scipio African, the protagonists, are often constructed with allusions to the virgilian Aeneas, in an allusive plot close to that used by Virgil when he did homeric Achilles a model for two antagonistic characters, and did his hero develop throughout his journey: Scipio African is who gathers qualities of the previous Roman generals, synthesizing republican virtues and the military force of the Empire.The paradigms of Hercules and Achilles are also very relevant in the allusive game proposed by Silius, both latent figures of Virgil's Aeneas model.

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“…24-29. 42 Following his successful, but less remarkable, crossings of the, the Rhone (446-65) and the Druentia (466-76).43 SeeAugoustakis (2003) 250. reminder Throughout the epic, Hannibal and his allies frame their conquests in terms of their triumphs over nature. Hannibal's brother says of him: mihi, cui cedunt montesque lacusque | et campi atque amnes, frater ("he is my brother, to whom mountains, lakes, fields and rivers yield," 15.748-9).…”

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confidence: 99%

River on Fire: The mache parapotamios and Ecological Crises in Greco-Roman Epic

Fairley¹

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The mache parapotamios, or river battle, briefly brings nature to the forefront of epic narrative and provides an insight into perceptions of the environment. This type scene, appearing in a number of extant epics including Homer’s Iliad, Silius Italicus’ Punica, and Statius’ Thebaid, demonstrates that these poems are aware of the importance of nature as divine and cosmological, and are concerned with its relationship to humankind. The mache parapotamios does not, however, communicate a ‘green’ message in which nature is considered, or cared for, as an entity unto itself. Destruction of the environment is frequently slated as sacrilegious, and it is often equated with cosmological disorder. What is more, the narrative promotes the consensual domestication of nature so that it will benefit humankind, recognising that undamaged and benevolent nature is better than its wild and aggressive counterpart. In this way, concern for the preservation of nature in epic is anthropocentric. Using a schema with which to analyse nature in epic, we can categorise aspects of nature into domesticated or undomesticated, and natural or non-natural. In the case of the mache parapotamios, this schema takes into account the personification of the river, as well as its relationship with humans. Alliances with humans demonstrate domestication, such as the Scamander’s cooperation with the Trojans, while enmity towards humans demonstrates a lack of domestication, as when the Trebia of the Punica assaults Scipio. Furthermore, a river is natural when it is in control of itself and acting according to its phusis, but an external force, such as pollution or obstruction, can cause a river to become non-natural. This frequently reflects negatively on the human perpetrators of the non-natural phenomena. Each of the three chapters discusses one of the texts above and analyses the mache parapotamios, as well as other scenes involving nature, using the proposed schema. While each text presents an altered version of the river battle in order to best suit the needs of the epic, the significance of the relationships between the gods, humans, and nature remains a constant across all three.

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Lugendam Formae Sine Virginitate Reliquit : Reading Pyrene and the Transformation of Landscape in Silius' Punica 3

Cited by 9 publications

References 20 publications

Brill's Companion to Silius Italicus

Brill's Companion to Silius Italicus

A Eneida de Sílio Itálico: a <i>aemulatio </i>e os heróis de <i>Punica</i>

River on Fire: The mache parapotamios and Ecological Crises in Greco-Roman Epic

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