04 - Martial’s Fasti: Calendrical Reversals in Epigrams Book 10

At the end of his article on Martial and Ovid, Stephen Hinds suggests the possibility of studying "Martial's Fasti," namely his calendrical references through the lens of Ovidian intertextuality. The majority of scholarship on this theme has focused on the Saturnalia and poetics (Grewing, Citroni), with some work done on the intersection of social and religious ritual (Buongiovanni, Argetsinger). Katharina Burkhard has argued that Martial, unlike his Latin predecessors, has a tendency to erase religious elements from depictions of birthday celebrations. This paper will expand on this claim by demonstrating how the context of a book can be used to explain the absence of certain religious elements. I argue that epigram 10.87 is exemplary of the revisionary tendency of Book 10, since it severs the ideological ties between Domitian and the calendar. These revisions were also used to expose underlying social issues, such as the disgraceful life of a client in Rome (Spisak, Fearnley). In Book 10, the intersection between religious and social ritual becomes a backdrop for satire and social commentary, while more genuine religious activity can be found outside of Rome (Keith).

Epigram 10.87 was written for the birthday of Martial's patron, the lawyer Restitutus, on the Kalends of October. Since the epigram uses the word Octobres, it is presumably part of the revised edition, since October was Domitian's birth month and thus renamed into Domitianus. This month also plays a role in Martial's construction of the Flavian calendar (9.1). The poem begins with a call for ritual silence and a ceasing of legal proceedings (linguis omnibus et favete votis; natalem colimus, tacete lites). This language is similar to that of Ovid's account of the processus consularis on the Kalends of January (linguis animisque favete), in which the silence also extends to legal proceedings (lite vacent aures). Although the months in the two texts do not correspond, it is notable that the intertextual link serves to blur the line between public and private, since all of Rome is called to participate in the birthday of a private citizen. One possible explanation is that Martial is erasing the presence of Domitian in Rome by replacing the emperor's birthday with a patron's and downplaying the religious dimension of the birthday. In previous books, the emperor's birthday is connected with public celebrations, and even potentially encroaches on the private sphere (4.1, 9.39). The rest of the poem is a catalog of gifts brought to Restitutus by his clients, each being appropriate to the client's profession. The pointed conclusion is that Restitutus should expect Martial, a poet, to send him poetry. Burkhard points out that, in contrast to birthday poems of Tibullus and Ovid, offerings to the genius natalis have been replaced with gifts to Restitutus. This shift can be explained by considering the revisionary nature of the book, which would include severing ties with Domitian and the removal of religious elements from social ritual, such as gift-giving at a birthday.

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Presenters

Jovan Cvjeticanin, University of Virginia

  SCS-3