Vox Naturae: The Myth of Animal Nature in the Late Roman Republic
- Autori: Tutrone, F
- Anno di pubblicazione: 2016
- Tipologia: Capitolo o Saggio (Capitolo o saggio)
- OA Link: http://hdl.handle.net/10447/208720
Abstract
The paper examines the representation of animals as embodiment of nature in the culture of the late Roman republic. By discussing a selection of passages from Sallust, Cicero and Lucretius in conjunction with other Greek and Latin sources, the paper shows that the typically Western myth of 'animal nature' - the cultural belief that animals mirror a perennial state of nature, as opposed to human society - played a very important role in the moral debate of the first century BC and took a form which was bound to influence the centuries to come.