Abstract
This paper questions the post-Flavian reception of Domitian by exploring the imagery of catasterism in the Silvae’s first two poems. 1.1 solemnly celebrates Domitian’s colossal equestrian statue by overlapping imagery of catasterism with apotheosis. This is typical for imperial panegyric, but also key to Domitian’s divine self-portrayal. The tone becomes playful in 1.2, which celebrates the nuptials of the book’s patron, suggestively named Stella. I suggest that the contrastive effect deflates the grandeur of apotheosis, which risks offending the emperor. Domitian’s lack of punitive response, however, indicates that he was not as stringent with literary censorship as posterity has suggested.
The text of this article is only available as a PDF.
Copyright 2020 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
2020
You do not currently have access to this content.