Noscendi Nilum Cupido: Imagining Egypt from Lucan to Philostratus (Trends in Classics - Supplementary Volumes Book 18)

What significations did Egypt have for the Romans a century after Actium and afterwards? How did Greek imperial authors respond to the Roman fascination with the Nile? This book explores Egypt's aftermath beyond the hostility of Augustan rhetoric, and Greek and Roman topoi of Egyptian "barbarism." Set against history and material culture, Julio-Claudian, Flavian, Antonine, and Severan authors reveal a multivalent Egypt that defines Rome's increasingly diffuse identity while remaining a tertium quid between Roman Selfhood and foreign Otherness. Vespasian's Alexandrian uprising, his recognition of Egypt as his power basis, and his patronage of Isis re-conceptualize Egypt past the ideology of Augustan conquest. The imperialistic exhilaration and moral angst attending Rome's Flavian cosmopolitanism find an expressive means in the geographically and semantically nebulous Nile. The rapprochement with Egypt continues in the second and early third centuries. The "Hellenic" Antonines and the African-Syrian Severans expand perceptions of geography and identity within an increasingly decentralized and diverse empire. In the political and cultural discourses of this period, the capacious symbolics of Egypt validate the empire's religious and ethnic pluralism. Noscendi Nilum Cupido: Imagining Egypt from Lucan to Philostratus......Page 4 Preface......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Part I: Setting the Scene......Page 12 Imagining Egypt......Page 14 Methodology and Outline......Page 22 Theoretical Influences......Page 35 1: Egypt and the Nile in Julio–Claudian Rome......Page 40 Part II: Lucan......Page 54 2: Pompey’s Nile......Page 56 3: Beyond Pompey’s Nile......Page 70 4: The Nile Digression......Page 91 Acoreus, Author of the Nile......Page 94 Physics: The Nile between Earth and Sky......Page 97 Ethics: Lucan and Seneca on the Nile......Page 107 Poetics: The Bard’s Song and the River of Poetry......Page 114 The Bard’s Song......Page 116 The River of Poetry......Page 121 Conclusions......Page 126 Part III: Flavian Rome......Page 130 5: Egypt and the Nile in Flavian Rome......Page 132 6: Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica......Page 144 The Nile in Cyzicus......Page 149 The Nile in the Bosphorus......Page 153 The Nile in Aea......Page 158 The Nile on the Danube......Page 167 7: Statius’ Thebaid......Page 175 The Nile on Perseus’ Hill......Page 178 The Nile on the Langia......Page 181 The Nile in Athens......Page 189 8: Statius’ Propempticon (Silu. 3.2)......Page 195 Producing Egypt, Staging Isis......Page 197 Remapping the Land: From Egypt to Rome and Back Again......Page 200 Relating to Religion: Anubis, Phoenix, and Apis......Page 209 Revisiting History: Alexander and Cleopatra......Page 217 Conclusions......Page 227 Part IV: The Antonine and Severan Periods......Page 232 9: The Nile and Egypt in the Antonine and: Severan Periods......Page 234 The Emperor’s Nile: The Younger Pliny and Fronto......Page 245 10: Plutarch’s On Isis and Osiris......Page 263 11: Philostratus’ Life of Apollonius of Tyana......Page 269 Sage and Emperor on the Nile......Page 273 Reclaiming the Nile......Page 284 Imagining the Nile......Page 294 Conclusions......Page 318 Afterword......Page 320 Texts and Translations Used......Page 324 Bibliography......Page 326 General Index......Page 362 Index of Ancient Texts......Page 372 Egypt And The Nile In Julio-claudian Rome: Lucan -- Pompey's Nile -- Beyond Pompey's Nile -- Acoreus -- Acoreus, Author Of The Nile -- Physics: The Nile Between Earth And Sky -- Ethics: Lucan And Seneca On The Nile -- Poetics: The Bard's Song And The River Of Poetry -- The Bard's Song -- The River Of Poetry -- Flavian Rome: Egypt And The Nile In Flavian Rome -- Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica -- The Nile In Cyzicus -- The Nile In The Bosphorus -- The Nile In Aea -- The Nile On The Danube -- Statius' Thebaid -- The Nile On Perseus' Hill -- The Nile On The Langia -- The Nile In Athens -- Statius' Siluae -- Producing Egypt, Staging Isis -- Remapping The Land: From Egypt To Rome And Back Again -- Relating To Religion: Anubis, Phoenix, And Apis -- Revisiting History: Alexander And Cleopatra -- The Antonine And Severan Periods: The Nile And Egypt In The Antonine And Severan Periods -- The Emperor's Nile: The Younger Pliny And Fronto -- Plutarch's On Isis And Osiris -- Philostratus' Life Of Apollonius Of Tyana -- Sage And Emperor On The Nile -- Reclaiming The Nile -- Imagining The Nile. Eleni Manolaraki. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. What significations did Egypt have for the Romans a century after Actium and afterwards? How did Greek imperial authors respond to the Roman fascination with the Nile? This book explores Egypt's aftermath beyond the hostility of Augustan rhetoric, and Greek and Roman topoi of Egyptian 'barbarism'. Set against history and material culture, Julio-Claudian, Flavian, Antonine, and Severan authors reveal a multivalent Egypt that defines Rome's increasingly diffuse identity while remaining a tantalizing tertium quid between Roman Selfhood and foreign Otherness. Eleni Manolaraki, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA