The way in which Rutilius recalls the ancient name of places
is an interesting take on the aetia of a lands name. Instead of providing the
reason for a lands name, Rutilius recalls the ancient name of places. At one
point Rutilius recalls the ancient name Agylla, but does not provide the reason
for the loss of the name or the names original reason. However, Rutilius does
explore the aetia of name loss with the statue at Castrum. The statue,
according to rumor, is named Campus Inui and Rutilius explores the change as a
result of the loss of rituals dedicated to Pan or the renewal of rites to
Faunus. The loss of names that Rutilius explores in this section (ln.165-248)
corresponds with the mildly ruinous picture of the Roman Empire at the beginning
of the poem. The loss of heritage and the ruinous nature of the empire both
depict an unhealthy Rome.
"Instead of providing the reason for a lands name, Rutilius recalls the ancient name of places. " That is an interesting point, which I have not yet thought through carefully enough. He is a lot like Apollonius and Vergil in pondering the relationship between names and places and ruins. I haven't compared to Vergil to see how often he conjures up a name of a lost place instead of the etiology of the name. Let's all keep an eye on that!
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
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