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apt witticism by echoing Ovid on Callimachus (Am. 1.15.14: quamvis ingenio non valet,
arte valet). Given the frequency of Ovidian allusions in the Punica, modern scholars
might, Wilson suggests, have misinterpreted Pliny‟s meaning. 47 These interpretations by
Wilson and Pomeroy are representative of increasing scholarly recognition of the
complexities within the Punica, as Silius Italicus, writing nearly three hundred years
after the Second Punic War, takes the well-known and well-documented story into the
mythical realm. As Goldberg wrote, „when stories are well-known and literature
abundant, the poet can put greater emphasis on the telling than on the tale.‟ 48 Scholars
such as Ahl, Davis and Pomeroy, Dominik, von Albrecht, McGuire, Hardie, Wilson and
Augoustakis have, in various ways, contributed to countering the claim that Silius
Italicus „lacks originality.‟ 49 It is well established that Silius Italicus responds to a
variety of earlier texts 50 including his epic predecessors. 51 Of these epic predecessors,
Virgil‟s Aeneid and Lucan‟s de Bello Civili have attracted most attention, 52 with Von
Albrecht describing Silius Italicus as applying „integral components of former epic,
especially from the Aeneid, to illuminate crucial passages of his work, skilfully inserting
them as gems, as it were, into his historical mosaic.‟ 53
What has not been revisited in terms of recent scholarship on Silius Italicus is a
possible relationship between his text and the tradition in Polybius‟ Histories. As far as
the historical information is concerned, Campbell, Nicol, Von Albrecht, and McGuire
conclude that Silius Italicus primarily, but not exclusively, used Livy. 54 Burck 55 too,
47
Wilson, 2004, 227 n7. Pomeroy, 1989, 139 n78; 119 „Pliny is no admirer of Silius;‟ 2000, 151.
48
Goldberg, 1995, 50.
49
Nicol, 1936, 3 „Silius lacks originality;‟ 1999, 293. Campbell, 1936, 57 „[Silius is] little more than
versification of Livy;‟ also Santini, 1991, 1. Contra: Ahl, Davis, Pomeroy, 1986, 2493; Pomeroy, 2000;
Matier, 1990, 7 „Silius shows great ingenuity in his adaptations of the historical material;‟ Wilson, 1993,
2004; Hardie, 1989, 3; Feeney, 1991, 302. Commentary: Spaltenstein, 1986. Other (positive) works on the
Punica: Von Albrecht, 1997, 959-971; Pomeroy, 1989a; McGuire, 1997; Wilson, 2004; Dominik, 2003,
2006; Augoustakis, 2003, 2006; Marks, 2005, 110-213 argues that Silius moves from „many‟ to „one‟
(Scipio) to contend with Hannibal; Klaasen, 2006, 1-4 review of Marks.
50
Ahl, Davis, and Pomeroy, 1986; Pomeroy, 1989a, notes tributes by Silius Italicus to other authors such
as Statius, Cicero and Q. Asconius Pedianus. For inter-textuality with other texts: McGuire, 1997 for
Flavian epic generally; Von Albrecht, 1997, 301-309 and Wilson, 2004 for Ovid; Barnes, 1995, 287-291;
Hardie, 1989, 1993 and Pomeroy, 2000 for Virgil. Also Boyle & Sullivan, 1991, 297-304; Wilson, 1993.
51
Boyle, 1993, Preface, xi; Goldberg, 1995, esp. chapters 1, 2; Barnes, 1995; Hinds, 1998; McGuire,
1997; Wilson, 2004.
52
See Ahl, Davis, and Pomeroy, 1986; Pomeroy, 1989a. Also Hardie, 1993, 64 for connections between
the Punica with the Aeneid and Lucan; Von Albrecht, 1997, 963 summarises scholarship on the
influences of the Aeneid on the structure of the Punica; 964 summarises scholarship on the influence of
the bellum civile on the Punica.
53
Von Albrecht, 1997, 963.
54
Campbell, 1936, 57; Von Albrecht, 1997, 293 „Livy takes pride of place,‟ McGuire, 1997, 53. Nicol,
1936, concludes that Livy was the main source for the history in the poem.
55
Burck, 1984; reviewed by Feeney, 1985, 390-1.
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