Roman Epic Poetry: From Origins to the Silver Age

The Epic History of Roman Poetry

The First Period (753-241 BC): Origins of Profane Songs

The origins of Roman epic poetry are shrouded in mystery, disappearing into legends and myths. This early period featured works such as:

• Carmina Convivalia: Songs sung at banquets by young nobles, honoring their ancestors.
• Carmina Triumphalia: Jests and jeers sung by soldiers, directed at the victorious general.
• Neniae: Laments in verse, sung at funeral feasts.

The Archaic Period (241-88 BC)

This period saw the rise of named authors, representing historical facts, often contemporary to their own time:

• Livius Andronicus: A 3rd-century BC Greek from Tarentum. He translated the Odyssey into Latin, introducing epic poetry to the Roman world.
• Gnaeus Naevius: From Campania. He wrote Bellum Punicum, which was later used as a model by Virgil.
• Quintus Ennius: From Calabria. He introduced Hellenism and the hexameter verse into Roman poetry, becoming a precursor to Virgil. He also incorporated Greek mythology. His major work, Annales, imitated Homer's Iliad.

The Golden Period (88 BC - 14 AD)

A. The Time of Cicero (88-43 BC)

This era saw the emergence of epic poems on contemporary historical figures (e.g., Bellum Gallicum). It also included didactic poems like Lucretius's De Rerum Natura.

B. The Time of Augustus (43 BC - 14 AD)

This was the summit of Roman epic poetry. A political change (the rise of the Empire) and a shift in artistic and literary forms occurred. Virgil (70-19 BC), born in Mantua, was supported by patrons like Maecenas and even Augustus himself. He retired to Naples to compose the Aeneid, the true national epic of Rome.

Virgil's works include:

• Bucolics: 10 pastoral poems inspired by Greek themes, with references to the Italic and Roman world.
• Georgics: A didactic poem in four books, encouraging a return to agricultural life.
• Aeneid: The story of Aeneas, whose destiny was to survive the Trojan War and found a new Trojan lineage in Italy. Rome embraced these ideas, enriching them and merging legend with history. The Aeneid consists of 12 books: the first six are a kind of Roman Odyssey, and the last six a Roman Iliad. Virgil created a hero linked to the origins of Rome and elevated the poem as a monument to the glory of Rome and Augustus. However, the poem's form and content show dependence on Homer: images, metaphors, the intervention of the gods, and episodes like Aeneas's descent into the underworld or the description of his shield, inspired by that of Achilles.

The Silver Age (14-180 AD)

This period focused on historical epics:

• Lucan: Born in Cordoba, he was Seneca's grandson. His Pharsalia, in 10 books, is primarily based on historical events. It portrays the conflict between Caesar and Pompey, excluding the intervention of the gods in human affairs.
• Silius Italicus: His Punica, in 17 books, draws inspiration from Livy. He reintroduces the gods, imitating Homer and Virgil, and even more so Ennius's Annales.
• Publius Papinius Statius: His Thebaid, in 12 books, narrates the struggle for Thebes. It is the only epic of the Theban Cycle that has survived to posterity.
• Valerius Flaccus: His Argonautica, in a mythological and rhetorical style, describes Jason's adventures in search of the Golden Fleece.