Virgil’s Georgics and the Dating of Propertius’ First Book

Heslin, Peter

doi:10.1017/s0075435810000055

Virgil’s Georgics and the Dating of Propertius’ First Book

Heslin, Peter

Authors

Professor Peter Heslin p.j.heslin@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

This article re-examines a passage in the first book of Propertius which has generally been interpreted as establishing that the collection was published after Actium. In fact, these lines do not necessarily allude to Antony's defeat, but fit even better with the situation in the years leading up to the battle. Once that has been established, the balance of evidence supports a considerably earlier date for Propertius’ first book. This prompts a re-evaluation of the direction of influence between it and Virgil's Georgics. Contrary to traditional assumptions, Virgil can be seen to have reacted strongly to the elegist's brilliant debut.

Citation

Heslin, P. (2010). Virgil’s Georgics and the Dating of Propertius’ First Book. The Journal of Roman Studies, 100, 54-68. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0075435810000055

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Nov 1, 2010
Deposit Date	Apr 24, 2012
Publicly Available Date	Sep 12, 2012
Journal	Journal of Roman Studies
Print ISSN	0075-4358
Electronic ISSN	1753-528X
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	100
Pages	54-68
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1017/s0075435810000055

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© Copyright Cambridge University Press 2010. This paper has been published by Cambridge University Press in "Journal of Roman studies" (100 (2010) 54-68) http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=JRS