Legendary Rome

This is the first book to offer a comparative treatment of the reinvention of Rome's origins in the poetry of Vergil, Tibullus and Propertius. It also examines the impact that the changing topography of Rome, as orchestrated by the emperor Augustus, had on those poets' renditions of Rome's legendary past. When the poets explore the significance of Augustus' reconstruction of the Palatine and Capitoline hills, they create new meaning and memories for the story of Rome's legendary foundations. As the tradition of Rome's mythic and legendary origins evolves through each poetic revision, the past transforms and is reinvented anew. Written when Rome was in the process of defining a new identity, the poems studied here capture the growing tension between community and individual development, the restoration of peace vs expansion through military means, and stability and change within the city.

Jennifer A. Rea is an Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Florida in Gainesville. In addition to having articles forthcoming in 'Ancient Narrative' (2006) and 'Scholia' (2006/7), she is the author of nine entries in 'Medieval Italy' (Routledge, 2003) and numerous book reviews.