Classical Journal

Abstract:

In Punica 14, Silius Italicus uses several digressions to associate Sicily with poetic traditions that were felt by the Romans to espouse a decidedly non- or anti-martial epic agenda (Alexandrian, Callimachean, neoteric). These digressions interrupt, delay and push back against the book's martial epic content, its narrative about Marcellus' invasion of the island. A conflict of genres or literary modes thus ensues in which epic's struggle to assert its hegemony over unepic literary traditions mirrors Rome's struggle to conquer Sicily. Through this conflict Silius explores the consequences of imperialism for Rome's Hellenistic heritage, including the influence of the Alexandrian poetic tradition on Roman epic.