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This is part I of a two-part set.
This is part I of a two-part set.
This is volume II of a two-volume set.
This is volume II of a two-volume set.
Written in the aftermath of Nero’s downfall, the Year of the Four Emperors and the rise of Vespasian, Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica departs significantly from earlier treatments of the Argonautic myth. This monograph explores how the epic’s fusion of foreign conquest with civil war, its depiction of rulers and tyrants, and its disconcerting portrayal of the gods may have resonated with its contemporary audience. The proposed readings suggest that the poem reflects approval of Vespasian’s rule, yet ambiguously leaves open the question of whether the future of Flavian Rome will hold everlasting peace or another civil war.
Written in the aftermath of Nero’s downfall, the Year of the Four Emperors and the rise of Vespasian, Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica departs significantly from earlier treatments of the Argonautic myth. This monograph explores how the epic’s fusion of foreign conquest with civil war, its depiction of rulers and tyrants, and its disconcerting portrayal of the gods may have resonated with its contemporary audience. The proposed readings suggest that the poem reflects approval of Vespasian’s rule, yet ambiguously leaves open the question of whether the future of Flavian Rome will hold everlasting peace or another civil war.