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observe: „the differences between Caesar and Hannibal are almost as compelling as the
resemblances.‟ 314
Silius Italicus‟ list of omens is prefaced with a bleak sense of foreboding, focussed
on the Roman camp where the soldiers set up their unlucky standards on the ill-omened
ramparts: defigunt diro signa infelicia vallo (Pun. 8.623). Shortly afterwards, they
collapse along their length (Pun. 8.627-9). Spaltenstein 315 compares this omen to the
gods demolishing the walls of Troy in Aeneid 2.608, supported by Silius Italicus‟ initial
comparison to the Trojan War a mere two lines earlier (Pun. 8.617-621). It also recalls
the walls of Saguntum crashing down (Pun. 1.368) through repetition of aggere and the
parallel simile for the thunderous noise of both sets of collapsing walls being compared
to crashing mountains. If one reads the siege of Saguntum in Punica 1-2 as a metaphor
for Rome, as argued by Dominik, 316 the inter-textual link between the walls of the camp
at Cannae and the walls of Saguntum is as strong as the allusion to the Aeneid.
Astronomical phenomena such as comets and eclipses were widely accepted as
powerful omens. Eclipses, whether solar or lunar, are problematic for texts relating to
historical topics, because ancient astronomers could forecast them and many people
would observe them; thus authors had to exercise a certain amount of care if there was
no eclipse over the area concerned at the time of the events they describe. For this
reason Livy, Valerius Maximus, Lucan and Silius Italicus all hint at eclipses at Cannae
and Pharsalus but say nothing explicit. Livy notes claims that the sun seemed to fight
the moon (Livy, 22.1.10) but on this score Silius Italicus aligns himself closer to Lucan,
using the same word, tenebris, to describe atmospheric gloom as light suddenly became
withdrawn (Pun. 8.633; bel.civ., 1.542).
Both of Livy‟s lists include a number of omens involving blood, either flowing from
springs or in sweat from statues or other images, and one of bloodied ears of corn
harvested at Antium (Livy, 22.36.7-9; 22.1.10-8). Only one similar type of omen is used
in the Punica and it is located in the centre of Rome: blood flows from the Temple of
Jupiter (Pun. 8.644-5). 317
314
Von Albrecht, 1966; Vessey, 1973; Ahl, Davis, Pomeroy, 1986, 2511: „Silius‟ Hannibal owes much to
Lucan‟s Caesar.‟
315
Spaltenstein, 1986, 555.
316
Dominik, 2003.
317
Spaltenstein, 1986, 557 notes the wording atro sanguine as traditional, citing Ennius (trag. 310), and
Virgil (Aen. 4.687) where the wording is similar but not identical (atros cruores).
126