Between Greece and Italy: Flavian Poetry and Its Traditions

Abstract

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the book Flavian Poetry and Its Greek Past . The book originates from an international conference held in Delphi, Greece, the omphalos of the earth, in the summer of 2012. The book first offers a discussion of the role of sleeplessness in Flavian literature in general, and especially the Flavian epicists. It then deals with the Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica , its Greek sources, namely Apollonius primarily, but also other important intertexts, heretofore left in the margin of Valerian criticism. The book also contains contributions to Statius' epic poems and the poet's engagement with Greek literature, from Homer to the Greek tragedians. It covers Silius Italicus' Punica and the poet's relationship with the Greek literary past. Finally, the book examines the Greek roots of Martial's epigrammatic poetry. Keywords: Flavian poetry; Greek literature; Italy; Martial's epigrammatic poetry