Silius Italicus: Punica, Book 9: Edited with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary

Book 9 of Silius Italicus' Punica epic poem begins the narrative of the Battle of Cannae (August 216 BC). It opens with a dispute between the consuls Paulus and Varro over giving battle and ends with Hannibal's elephant troops advancing and scattering the Roman forces. This volume is the first full-scale commentary in English devoted exclusively to Punica 9 and features the Latin text with a critical apparatus and a parallel English translation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 09 June 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The ninth book of Silius Italicus' Punica, a Latin epic poem from the first century, recounts the Battle of Cannae (August 216 BC). This book is a crucial component of the epic's three-book movement, which tells one of the biggest battles in Roman history. It begins with a disagreement between the consuls Paulus and Varro about whether to fight, in the face of unfavorable omens and Hannibal's reputation as a formidable warrior. The Roman soldier Solymus unintentionally kills his father Satricus on the eve of the battle, which is an omen of bad luck for the Roman army. Hannibal and Varro rally their troops after encouragement, and the battle begins. The gods descend to the battlefield, where Mars and Minerva engage in the only full-scale theomachy in a Latin epic. At Juno's request, Aeolus calls forth the Vulturnus wind to wreak havoc on the Roman lines. After the gods have left, Hannibal's elephant troops advance and disperse the Roman forces. The book concludes by summarizing the opening episode: Varro admits his error in initiating the battle and flees the battlefield.

This book is the first comprehensive commentary in English dedicated solely to Punica 9. It includes the Latin text with a critical apparatus and a parallel English translation. Extensive commentary notes offer insights into literary style, language usage, poetic intertexts, and scholarly interpretations. The Introduction provides additional context and background, covering topics such as Silius Italicus and his era, the historiographic and rhetorical traditions he adopted, the intertextuality of the Cannae episode, and the book's use of diction and metre.

Weight: 610g
Dimension: 240 x 160 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198838166