This book explores how astronomy and power were linked in the early Roman Empire. This is achieved by careful study of the Fasti by the Roman poet Ovid--a poem about the Roman calendar that contains many references to and stories about the stars. The author does not study Ovid's stars by using the techniques of mathematical astronomy but aims to combine the methodology of recent genre-based readings with a broad cultural perspective.
This book explores how astronomy and power were linked in the early Roman Empire. This is achieved by careful study of the Fasti by the Roman poet Ovi...
Why were the stars so important in Rome? Their literary presence far outweighs their role as a time-reckoning device, which was, in any case, superseded by the synchronization of the civil and solar years under Julius Caesar. One answer is tied to their usefulness in symbolizing a universe built on "intelligent design." From Plato's time onwards, the stars are most often seen in literature as evidence for a divine plan in the layout and maintenance of the cosmos. Moreover, particularly in the Roman world, divine and human governance came to be linked, one striking manifestation of this being...
Why were the stars so important in Rome? Their literary presence far outweighs their role as a time-reckoning device, which was, in any case, supersed...
