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On Toponyms and Descriptions of Warfare in the Eastern Adriatic in Lucanus’s Pharsalia – Commentaries on Lucanus’s Pharsalia (De Bello Civili) IV, 402-581
Nenad Cambi
Sažetak
In his epic Pharsalia, great Roman poet Lucanus describes Caesar’s fight against Pompey during the civil war. The description is poetic, not historical. He describes interesting, particularly important and heroic events that indicate to a high level of military and human virtues. One of those events took place in Dalmatia (in the Eastern Adriatic) near the island of Curicta – today Krk (Bellum Civile, also known as Pharsalia IV, 402-581). The following verses (IV, 404-405) in particular captured the attention of historians researching the events having taken place in the Antiquity on the Eastern coast: Qua maris Hadriaci longas ferit unda Salonas/et tepidum in molles Zephyros excurrit Iader. The so far given opinions regarding the interpretation of these verses are not satisfying; thus, these two Lucanus’s verses mentioning Salona and Iader had to be taken under closer examination. The research focuses on the terms longae Salonae and excurrit Iader. The adjective longae should be interpreted as spacious, not long, since this suits better the then geo-cultural situation in and around this Dalmatian city. The second (very broad) meaning of this word relates to spaciousness. On the other hand, Lucanus could not have used the term tepidus to describe the cold and fast river Salon (today Jadro). Since the times of Thomas the Archdeacon (13th ct.), the opinion had prevailed that Iader was the name for a small river near Salona named Salon. Since then, the river has been officially called Jadro. Thomas the Archdeacon’s recent critical edition shows that this historian had either changed or miswritten the word tepidus in order for it to better suit the term trepidus, which means quivering. The word trepidus occurs in Thomas’s autograph only. He had obviously realized that this water was not mild but rather cold, clear and fast; and thus, he preferred the term trepidus. This means that Thomas had corrected Lucanus. Thomas’s other editions bring the word in its original form as written by Lucanus (tepidus); this means that scribes transcribing Thomas’s work brought the word back into its original form. Hence, the second verse refers to the peninsular in the antique city of Zadar (Iader); that is to say, the expressions tepidus and excurrit in molles Zephyros suit better the land that is mild (in winter) yet chilled by landward breeze. However, neither the inhabitants of Iader nor Liburnians are meant in all cases by Jadestinians who are mentioned on three inscriptions; some other ethnic name, i.e. toponym (which originates from a hydronym) should be searched in the surroundings of Salona (this particularly refers to those mentioned on the well-known Psephism from Salona, put up on the occasion of a deputation having been sent to Caesar in Aquileia), since the deputation was sent to the procurator by the inhabitants of Issa, Tragurium, Epetium and Iader – obviously the population of Central Dalmatia, who needed to discuss important province-related issues with Caesar. The author regards that the passage including the mentioned verses must not be analysed outside the context; he hence translates into Croatian and brings a description of the fights on Curicta and along the shore. The most important event here is the heroic collective suicide of all Caesar’s soldiers led by Gaius Vulteius Capito from the neighbouring town of Opitergium, today Oderzo (north from Venice). Caesar’s soldiers led by Gaius Antonius had fled the island on improvised vessels. Pompey’s soldiers led by Marcus Octavius followed closely the movement of the other party, and by applying the Cilician pirates’ trap (using ropes and chains), took captive the third vessel with around 600 soldiers led by Vulteius. Having found himself in a hopeless situation, Vulteius persuaded his soldiers to commit collective suicide in the presence of numerous witnesses (compatriot soldiers fighting both on Caesar’s and on Pompey’s side). Lucanus was fascinated by this heroic act, which is a paradigm for the honourable suicide as an expression of military virtue. In an elevated speech, Vulteius pointed out the idea of the sword being a weapon used not only for defeating the enemy, but also for liberating oneself from slavery. Only cowards fear to take their own life. Lucanus claimed death to be the liberator from shame. Lucanus teaches us nothing about the effects of the Curicta epic apart from the fact that Caesar had been defeated there, and that Gaius Antonius found himself on one of the two vessels that had not been taken captive. The description is poetic; it however undoubtedly relies on actual facts. This event finds no confirmation in other sources, yet Lucanus claims it had been highly glorified among the Romans. However, the description came about in the time of events that weighed so heavy on the poet himself (Neron’s envy) that he could see no other escape but in committing suicide, same as his uncle Seneca, who had also been forced to it. This explains the idea of suicide as an act of liberation.
Ključne riječi
Lucanus Marcus Anneus; Salona; Iader; Curicta; Vulteius
Hrčak ID:
83120
URI
Datum izdavanja:
25.5.2012.
Posjeta: 2.166 *