Andrea Cucchiarelli

Horace is commonly considered to be close to Epicurean thought and, therefore, skeptical when it comes to the ultimate validity of traditional religion. However, a more thorough investigation of Horace’s philosophical education, in relation to the distinction between hexametrical sermo and lyrical carmen as literary forms, allows us to observe the actual presence of the ‘irrational’ and the divine in Horace...

In silv. I 3, in order to describe the villa of Manilius Vopiscus at Tibur, Statius makes use of a particular compositional technique, typical of the Silvae, by pressing to the fore and developing certain themes and recurrent motifs through repetitions with variations. A preeminent function of these repetitions is to evoke Horatian memories that become ever clearer as the poem progresses...