Deus militaris. Moving Across Imperial Space in Pliny's Panegyricus

Abstract

The article focuses on the section of the Panegyricus about Trajan’s early career and military virtues (paneg. 12-20). After assessing its relevance within Pliny’s text itself, I examine the way in which the panegyrist represents Trajan’s power over the space of the empire: this is a power of a deus militaris who reaches this status along his breathtaking career (1), making it possible to envisage future victories (2) and even to revive eulogistic commonplaces (3).