This volume presents 19 of 31 papers given at the conference Flavian Literature and its Greek Past which took place at Delphi in July 2012. The papers are preceded by an informative introduction by A., the editor and conference organiser. Only the first paper is a thematic contribution, while the rest are arranged by author, Valerius Flaccus receiving the most attention with seven chapters. Overall, the book reads well as a coherent whole, not least thanks to the frequent cross-references between the contributions. Its originality lies in the lack of other comprehensive studies examining the influence of Greek literature on Flavian poetry, which many contributors combine with an assessment of its significance for contemporary Flavian culture.
In the first essay, Sacerdoti discusses the theme of sleeplessness in three Flavian poets (Valerius Flaccus, Statius and Silius). In the epic poems of this era, insomnia affects worrying leaders, conscientious helmsmen or people engaged in night-time revelry, ultimately reworking Homeric episodes. On the contrary, in Statius' Siluae, sleeplessness may be linked to literary activity, with the night becoming a suitable time to write, read and discuss poetry.
Krasne's paper on the Argo demonstrates how Valerius Flaccus' engagement with, and simultaneous rejection of, Aratus and Apollonius is symbolically rendered by the gradual destruction, literal as well as metaphorical, of the ship in the course of the poem. Aratus and his tradition are also at the centre of Castelletti's contribution, which thoroughly examines the use of acrostics in the Roman Argonautica. With this poetic device Valerius variously acknowledges literary debts to Greek and Roman predecessors, hints at events not mentioned in the narrative and shows off his own skill and sophistication.
Finkmann shows how Valerius reformulates, readdresses or even summarises speeches made by groups of secondary characters or by the Argonauts in the Hellenistic precedent. While the former type of speeches, unparalleled in Apollonius, indicates his distance from his predecessor, the latter highlights moments in the narrative which are crucial for the Argonauts' characterisation and the plot of the poem. Next, van der Schuur convincingly demonstrates how Valerius conflates Idmon and Tiphys' deaths and funerals. By re-elaborating Apollonius' treatment of the same heroes, and by resolving problems inherent in Virgil's presentation of the deaths of Palinurus and Misenus, Valerius acts both as a restructurer of, and as a clever commentator on, earlier epic tradition. Finally, Seal looks into the theme of civil war as the means by which Valerius reconciles the traditions regarding the primacy of the Argo. This instance of seafaring, prompted by Jupiter himself, creates a new type of violence, that between family and friends, but the Argonauts, unlike the readers and the gods of the poem, and indeed unlike Apollonius' Argonauts, are intentionally left in the dark about this consequence of their expedition.
With Galli we turn to a little studied model, the Hellenistic mythographer Dionysius Scytobrachion. Valerius seems to follow his now lost Argonautica in the presentation of various events in Book 1 and in the characterisation of Hercules in the Hesione episode in Book 2. Hercules also receives attention in Mitousi's essay, which is a study of redundancies. The tyrannical model exemplified by Pelias, Laomedon and Aeetes; the comparable monsters Amycus and the Harpies; the rescues of Hesione and Prometheus performed by Hercules; and finally the interchangeability of the latter hero and Jason; all aim at encouraging a reading of the poem as reflecting the Flavian ideology of restoration of Augustan values.
The section on Statius starts with Soerink's examination of the various ways in which the Thebaid's Nemean episode engages with Euripides' Hypsipyle. Alongside verbal and thematic parallels, the framing of the episode by the character of Bacchus and the recognition scene at the end of Book 5 establish clear links to the tragic model, while Hypsipyle who already in Euripides was characterised as a poet, is now able to perform that role in an unrestrictive epic context. Hulls also discusses the influence of Greek tragedy on a poet who strongly professes his Romanitas in the Siluae. Statius' engagement takes the form of theme reversal (in the characterisation of Oedipus and Creon in Thebaid 11) and combination of multiple models (in the suicide of Menoeceus in Thebaid 10), while in Thebaid 12 he confirms Roman dominance over Greek models by transforming tragic Athens into something very closely resembling Flavian Rome.
Bessone then investigates Statius' use of his own image as poet/uates across his three poems. Statius reverses a common trope by exporting his Muse to Greece instead of importing a Greek one to Rome, and links himself, whether explicitly or by means of allusion, to legendary and historical poets alike (Amphion and Pindar respectively). This attitude reflects his self-awareness as a Flavian poet whose adaptability to occasion and audience matches that of his Greek epic and lyric predecessors. Finally, Sfyroeras argues for Statian innovation in his reworking of a Homeric simile in the Achilleid. His multiple combinations of purple and ivory are closer to the original single instance by maintaining the gender ambiguity that Catullus, Virgil and Ovid did without, but which reveals Statius' perception of epic as a hybrid mixture of masculine and feminine themes.
Karakasis opens the section on Silius Italicus by focusing on the characterisation of Fabius and Hannibal in Punica 7. While Homeric influence is undeniable, a clear contrast between the two characters is only established thanks to Roman epic intertexts. The result is a Roman general who evokes Domitian, pitted against a Carthaginian leader who represents the ‘enemy of the princeps’. Littlewood also looks at the figure of Hannibal and demonstrates how his behaviour in convivial settings, namely the Capuan Banquets in Punica 11, evokes the Pindaric presentation of the enemies of Zeus, and thus contributes to his characterisation as tyrannical, perfidious and luxurious.
Next, van der Keur examines Scipio's meeting with various Greek ghosts in Punica 13. In a scene based on Homer, Ennius and Virgil, Silius constructs Scipio as the Roman Achilles / Alexander, and himself as the Roman Homer. By presenting the first and greatest epic poet as immortal, Silius establishes his role as the guarantor of eternal fame for his heroes as well as for himself. The political overtones of the same episode are the topic of Fucecchi's contribution, which argues that Silius' Scipio exemplifies traits of the ideal king, a new Alexander figure with only positive qualities to display. In Punica 15 Scipio's choice of Virtus, encouraged by Alexander himself earlier in the poem, and echoing Greek and Roman philosophical texts, completes his portrait and produces a model for the contemporary Flavian emperor to emulate.
The final section on Martial begins with Neger's discussion of the poet's allusions to, rather than explicit acknowledgement of, his Greek epigrammatic predecessors, particularly in programmatic passages. Martial's engagement with Lucilius is very subtle and indirect, but the recognition of the Greek intertext is necessary for the understanding of the Roman epigram. For their part, allusions to Greek epigrams on poets serve to confirm Martial's own place in the genre. Next, Cowan's contribution examines Martial's allusions to Catullus' allusions to Callimachus, whether they concern specific passages or poetic principles more generally. A thorough analysis of poem 1.92 together with Catullus' Furius and Aurelius cycle reveals how Martial understood the complexities in the reception of Callimachus by Catullus and the other Neoterics. The volume comes to an end with Lóio's paper on those of Martial's epigrams which speak to their readers in the voice of a book. Examples include the Batrachomachia and a set of writing tablets (14.183 and 14.3 respectively), but also the first epigram of the tenth book; unlike their Hellenistic models, Martial's speaking books do not identify themselves but emphasise the role of their reader and his preferences and reactions.
