This volume explores the theme of marginality in the literature and history of the Neronian and Flavian periods. As a concept of modern criticism, the term marginality has been applied to the connection between the uprooted experience of immigrant communities and the subsequent diasporas these groups formed in their new homes. The concept also covers individuals or groups who were barred from access to resources and equal opportunities based on their deviation from a "normal" or dominant culture or ideology. From a literary vantage point, we are interested in the voices of "marginal," or underappreciated authors and critical voices. The distinction between marginalia and "the" text is often nebulous, with marginal comments making their way into the paradosis and being regarded, in modern criticism, as important sources of information in their own right. The analysis of relevant passages from various authors including Lucan, Petronius, Persius, Philo of Alexandria, Pliny the Elder, Silius Italicus, and Statius, as well as the Moretum of the Appendix Vergiliana is vital for our understanding of the treatment of marginalized people in various literary genres in relation to each one’s different purposes.

This is the first volume of essays published on the television series Troy: Fall of a City (BBC One and Netflix, 2018). Covering a wide range of engaging topics, such as gender, race and politics, international scholars in the fields of classics, history and film studies discuss how the story of Troy has been recreated on screen to suit the expectations of modern audiences. The series is commended for the thought-provoking way it handles important issues arising from the Trojan War narrative that continue to impact our society today. With discussions centered on epic narrative, cast and character, as well as tragic resonances, the contributors tackle gender roles by exploring the innovative ways in which mythological female figures such as Helen, Aphrodite and the Amazons are depicted in the series. An examination is also made into the concept of the hero and how the series challenges conventional representations of masculinity. We encounter a significant investigation of race focusing on the controversial casting of Achilles, Patroclus, Zeus and other series characters with Black actors. Several essays deal with the moral and ethical complexities surrounding warfare, power and politics. The significance of costume and production design are also explored throughout the volume.

This book offers, in one volume, a modern English translation of all 17 books of Silius Italicus' Punica. Composed in the first century CE, this epic tells the story of the Second Punic War between Rome and Hannibal's Carthage (218-202 BCE). It is not only a crucial text for students of Flavian literature, but also an important source for anyone studying early Imperial perspectives on the Roman Republic. The translation is clear and comprehensible, while also offering an accurate representation of the Latin text. Augmented by a scholarly introduction, extensive notes, glossary and a comprehensive bibliography (included in the introduction), this volume makes the text accessible and relevant for students and scholars alike.

The epics of the three Flavian poets-Silius Italicus, Statius, and Valerius Flaccus-have, in recent times, attracted the attention of scholars, who have re-evaluated the particular merits of Flavian poetry as far more than imitation of the traditional norms and patterns. Drawn from sixty years of scholarship, this edited collection is the first volume to collate the most influential modern academic writings on Flavian epic poetry, revised and updated to provide both scholars and students alike with a broad yet comprehensive overview of the field. A wide range of topics receive coverage, and analysis and interpretation of individual poems are integrated throughout. The plurality of the critical voices included in the volume presents a much-needed variety of approaches, which are used to tackle questions of intertextuality, gender, poetics, and the social and political context of the period. In doing so, the volume demonstrates that by engaging in a complex and challenging intertextual dialogue with their literary predecessors, the innovative epics of the Flavian poets respond to contemporary needs, expressing overt praise, or covert anxiety, towards imperial rule and the empire.

This is the first volume of essays published on the television series Troy: Fall of a City (BBC One and Netflix, 2018). Covering a wide range of engaging topics, such as gender, race and politics, international scholars in the fields of classics, history and film studies discuss how the story of Troy has been recreated on screen to suit the expectations of modern audiences. The series is commended for the thought-provoking way it handles important issues arising from the Trojan War narrative that continue to impact our society today. With discussions centered on epic narrative, cast and character, as well as tragic resonances, the contributors tackle gender roles by exploring the innovative ways in which mythological female figures such as Helen, Aphrodite and the Amazons are depicted in the series. An examination is also made into the concept of the hero and how the series challenges conventional representations of masculinity. We encounter a significant investigation of race focusing on the controversial casting of Achilles, Patroclus, Zeus and other series characters with Black actors. Several essays deal with the moral and ethical complexities surrounding warfare, power and politics. The significance of costume and production design are also explored throughout the volume.

The figure of Spartacus often serves as an icon of resistance against oppression in modern political movements, while his legend has inspired numerous receptions over the centuries in many different popular media. This new essay collection brings together a wide range of scholarly perspectives on the four seasons of the acclaimed and highly successful premium cable television series 'Spartacus' (2010-13), with contributions from experts in the fields of Classics, History, Gender, Film and Media Studies, and Classical Reception. 'STARZ Spartacus' uncovers a fascinating range of topics and themes within the series such as slavery, society, politics, spectacle, material culture, sexuality, aesthetics, and fan reception. As the first volume of essays published on the entirety of the STARZ series, this book is a valuable resource for both students and scholars eager to confront a new Spartacus, as the hero of the slave revolt is recast for a twenty-first century audience.The first academic volume looking at various themes of the premium cable TV series 'Spartacus'Includes original, innovative research in fields of history, politics, gender, film, fan culture Explores the theme of Spartacus on screen from multiple angles: history, classics, film studies, reception studies, gender studies, fandom studies

Gladiator, rebel slave leader, revolutionary: a collection of essays dissecting four seasons of STARZ Spartacus The figure of Spartacus often serves as an icon of resistance against oppression in modern political movements, while his legend has inspired numerous receptions over the centuries in many different popular media. This new essay collection brings together a wide range of scholarly perspectives on the four seasons of the acclaimed and highly successful premium cable television series STARZ Spartacus (2010-13), with contributions from experts in the fields of Classics, History, Gender, Film and Media Studies, and Classical Reception. STARZ Spartacus uncovers a fascinating range of topics and themes within the series such as slavery, society, politics, spectacle, material culture, sexuality, aesthetics, and fan reception. As the first volume of essays published on the entirety of the STARZ Spartacus series, this book is a valuable resource for both students and scholars eager to confront a new Spartacus, as the hero of the slave revolt is recast for a twenty-first century audience. The first academic volume looking at various themes of the premium cable TV series Spartacus Includes original, innovative research in fields of history, politics, gender, film, fan culture Explores the theme of Spartacus on screen from multiple angles: history, classics, film studies, reception studies, gender studies, fandom studies

Hannibal's crossing of the Alps represents a momentous event in the beginning of the Second Punic War (218-202 BCE). The third book of Silius Italicus' Punica reimagines this courageous feat, retracing the journey of Hannibal and his army from the temple of Hercules/Melqart in Gades, across the Pyrenees, the Rhone, and the Alpine peaks into northern Italy. Significant stages in the journey are marked by prophecies: the gods reveal to Hannibal in a dream his future destruction of Italy through a dream with a giant snake; Jupiter unveils to his daughter Venus the future of the Roman empire through the Flavians and Domitian himself; the oracle of Hammon in the African desert prophesies the Roman defeat at Cannae. The Flavian poet builds his narrative around several key episodes that programmatically set the tone for the whole poem: separation from family, a futuristic distinction between African and Iberian troops in the catalogue, the transgressive nature of Hannibal's struggle with nature and the divine. The commentary explores each scene in the context of the poetic, philosophical, and historiographic background, with reference also to material culture. The philological and stylistic exegeses aim to reveal the linguistic complexities which colour this fascinating Flavian reconstruction of the topos of 'the epic hero's journey'. The Latin text is presented alongside an English translation and supplemented with maps and images to support understanding the broad historical context of Silius' poem.

This is the first collection to look at the most recent manifestations of the ancient hero on screen. It brings together a range of perspectives on twenty-first century cinematic representations of heroes from the ancient world. Since 2000, numerous heroes of the ancient world have appeared on film and TV, from the mythical Hercules to leaders of the Greek and Roman worlds. Films and shows discussed in this volume range from Hercules and The Legend of Hercules to TV shows, Atlantis and Supernatural, to other biopic works influenced by the ancient hero. This book brings together a range of perspectives on twenty-first century cinematic representations of heroes and antiheroes from the ancient world. Key features: Includes a range of TV shows and films, allowing for greater comparative analysis, examining the overlooked links between various productions Original, cutting edge research in the fields of history, politics, gender, film and fan culture. Covers topics including society, politics, generational issues, gender, fan reception and star texts Also considers the creation of antiheroes in the twenty-first century. Contributors include Alastair Blanshard, Angeline Chiu, Jon Solomon and Emma Stafford

This is the first dedicated commentary on the eighth and final book of Valerius Flaccus' Flavian epic Argonautica. It includes the Latin text, a new English translation, and detailed discussion of a range of literary, linguistic, and textual issues. It is the final work of the promising scholar Cristiano Castelletti, edited by friends and colleagues. The edition benefits from his wide-ranging knowledge of ancient poetry and provides perceptive insights into the texture of this important book. It will make the final section of the poem more easily accessible to an international readership and addresses questions of the original length of the poem, of intertextuality, and of poetic practices in late first-century CE Rome.

This is the first collection to look at the most recent manifestations of the ancient hero on screen. It brings together a range of perspectives on twenty-first century cinematic representations of heroes from the ancient world. Since 2000, numerous types of heroes of the ancient world have appeared on film and TV, from the mythical Hercules in various forms to leaders of the Greek and Roman worlds. Films and shows to be discussed in this volume range from Hercules and The Legend of Hercules to TV shows, Atlantis and Supernatural, to other biopic works influenced by the ancient hero. This book brings together a range of perspectives on twenty-first century cinematic representations of heroes and antiheroes from the ancient world.