Silius Italicus, Punica

Antonios Augoustakis (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (The American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 81 - c. 96

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Epic
Poem

Resources

Life

Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus (c. 26-101 CE) was a prominent Roman statesman (consul in 68 CE) and one of the three epic poets of the Flavian period, whose poems survive today (the other two are Statius and Valerius Flaccus). Silius produced the longest extant poem in Latin literature (12,202 verses), titled the Punica (“Punic War”). Silius served as proconsul in Asia (c. 77 CE), and, after the end of his political career of thirty years, he dedicated his time to the composition of his epic poem, celebrating the Roman defeat of Carthage during the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE). Undoubtedly, Silius found himself in the midst of the turmoil during the last years of emperor Nero’s life (ruled …

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2185 words

Citation: Augoustakis, Antonios. "Punica". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35053, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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