Calpurnius Siculus

Titus Calpurnius was a Roman bucolic poet. Eleven eclogues have been handed down to us under his name, of which the last four, from metrical considerations and express manuscript testimony, are now generally attributed to Nemesianus, who lived in the time of the emperor Carus and his sons (latter half of the 3rd century).The separate authorship of the eclogues of Calpurnius and Nemesianus was established by Haupt.

There is no doubt that Calpurnius’ Eclogues post-date Virgil’s Eclogues, as Calpurnius is heavily indebted, and frequently alludes to Virgil. However, the period in which Calpurnius was active has been debated and there is no overriding consensus. Edward Gibbon placed him in the reign of Carus (282 – 283 AD). In the late nineteenth century, Haupt asserted that Calpurnius wrote during the reign of Nero (54 – 68 AD).

Evidence put forward for this Neronian dating includes the fact that, in Calpurnius' Eclogues I, IV and VII, the emperor is described as a handsome youth, like Mars and Apollo, whose accession marks the beginning of a new golden age, prognosticated by the appearance of a comet, which is argued to be the same that appeared some time before the death of Claudius; he exhibits splendid games in the amphitheatre (probably the wooden amphitheatre erected by Nero in 57); and in the words maternis causam qui vicit Iulis (i.45) there is a reference to the speech delivered in Greek by Nero on behalf of the Ilienses (Suetonius, Nero, 7; Tacitus, Annals, xii.58), from whom the Julii derived their family.

In 1978 it was argued that Calpurnius was active in the reign of Severus (193 – 211 AD). Arguments for such later dating of Calpurnius’ work are based on internal stylistic, metrical and lexical grounds – including what are considered by some to be allusions in Calpurnius’ poetry to Flavian-era literature. There has been subsequent disagreement among scholars as to the date of Calpurnius' poetry, with some arguing for a Neronian Date, others for a later date.

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