The headless city: the decline and fall of Capua in Silius Italicus' Punica

Book section

The description of the Romans' siege and recapture of Capua in Silius Italicus' Punica develops the city's role as, at different times and to differing extents, a parallel, antitype, surrogate, and rival to Rome, as well as to the other cities, such as Saguntum, Troy, and Alba, which stand in a similarly complex relationship to Rome and to each other. This article explores these issues, through a close reading of the siege narrative and careful attention to its intertextual resonances, as well as Silius' development of a poetics of unfulfillment, his use of counterfactual history, and his treatment of themes of moral decline, civil war, and political power.

Authors: Cowan, R

• Publication status: Not published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publication date: 2007-01-01
• Edition: Author's Original
• Language: English
• Subjects: History of the ancient world