Circles and landscapes : Ceres’ flight over the Greco-Roman world
Abstract
Ovid’s version of Ceres’ travels in search for her daughter Proserpina in Fasti 4 reflects contemporary geographical views. We note an expansion of horizons that has already happened in Callimachus Hymn 6 compared to the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, but is now reaching even further as well as offering more precise information. At the same time Ovid is inspired by Callimachus’ pattern of figurative concentric circles (Achelous/Ocean, ever-flowing rivers, well of Callichorus) to create a narrative characterised by figurative and literal circles (one e.g. being Henna, Sicily, the whole world). The Fasti version is thus Callimachean without failing to conform to the Roman character of the poem by placing Rome at the climax of the journey, and its world below Ceres’ chariot flight.
Citation
Manioti , N 2017 , ' Circles and landscapes : Ceres’ flight over the Greco-Roman world ' , Mnemosyne , vol. 70 , no. 1 , pp. 79-93 . https://doi.org/10.1163/1568525X-12342106
Publication
Mnemosyne
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0026-7074Type
Journal article
Rights
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2016. This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1568525X-12342106
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