Bellum Punicum

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The historical epic Bellum Punicum , written by the ancient Roman author Gnaeus Naevius , is one of the oldest literary works in Latin. In addition to the main theme, the First Punic War , Naevius describes Aeneas ' flight from Troy to the founding of Rome . The meter used is the Saturnian .

content

Since only about 60 fragments of the epic, which is divided into seven books and usually contain one to three Saturnians, have survived, it is difficult to reconstruct the content of the work with certainty. From the verses that have survived, which have only been passed on through quotations from other authors, such as the Vergil commentator Servius or the grammarians Priscian and Macrobius , some statements can be made about the content. The work is divided into a mythological and a historical part. Books 1 to 3 deal with the Aeneassage up to the founding of Rome. The first book depicts the escape from Troy, a sea storm and a conversation between Venus and Jupiter . The second book probably deals with the meeting between Aeneas and Dido in Carthage . Whether there was a love affair between them like Virgil's is not certain, but it would explain Dido's hatred and thus provide a reason for the war between Rome and Carthage, which is described in the historical part of the Bellum Punicum . The third book describes, among other things, the founding of Rome by Romulus . The first three books are characterized by a poetic style, the events are formulated in a painterly way. The historical events of the First Punic War are then presented in chronological order. The difference in language and style to the mythological part is striking. The events are reported in a simple style. In contrast to the first half, there are no extravagant descriptions in the traditional verses, and feelings are not discussed either. However, much remains in the dark about the content. Despite numerous attempts, for example, it is not possible to reliably understand how Naevius linked the mythological and historical parts.

Effect and aftermath

After Livius Andronicus, Naevius wrote the second (known to us) Latin epic. He surpassed Andronicus' Greek myth about Odysseus with a Roman historical epic about Aeneas. In the Bellum Punicum he wrote a Roman odyssey combined with a Roman Iliad . But Naevius was again surpassed two centuries later by Virgil , who wrote in a more sublime style and placed the myth at the center and inserted history as an insert. But Virgil's ancient commentators noticed that he took many motifs from Naevius' Bellum Punicum , which is why they mentioned Naevius in their comments.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Büchner : The beginning of the Bellum Punicum des Naevius , in: Karl Büchner: Humanitas Romana , Heidelberg 1957, p. 21.
  2. ↑ a b Michael von Albrecht : Naevius' "Bellum Punicum" , in: Erich Burck (Ed.), The Roman Epos , Darmstadt, 1979, p. 23ff.
  3. ^ Eduard Fraenkel : The Giants in the Poem of Naevius , in: Journal of Roman Studies 44, 1954, pp. 14-17.
  4. ^ Karl Büchner: The beginning of the Bellum Punicum des Naevius , in: Karl Büchner: Humanitas Romana , Heidelberg 1957, pp. 13–34.
  5. ↑ Michael von Albrecht: Naevius' "Bellum Punicum" , in: Erich Burck (Ed.), The Roman Epos , Darmstadt, 1979, p. 30.

literature

  • Michael von Albrecht: Naevius' "Bellum Punicum" . In: Erich Burck (Ed.): The Roman Epos , Darmstadt, 1979, pp. 15–32.
  • Jürgen Blänsdorf (Ed.): Fragmenta Poetarum Latinorum Epicorum et Lyricorum . Leipzig & Stuttgart 1995.
  • Karl Büchner: The beginning of the Bellum Punicum of the Naevius . In: Karl Büchner: Humanitas Romana . Heidelberg 1957, pp. 13-34.
  • Hermann Fränkel : Greek Education in Ancient Roman Epics II . In: Hermes 70, 1935, pp. 59-72.
  • Eduard Fraenkel: The Giants in the Poem of Naevius . In: Journal of Roman Studies 44, 1954, pp. 14-17.

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