Carmela LAUDANI (Università della Calabria)
LA TOMBA DI DECIO MAGIO (SIL. 11, 377-384)
Keywords: Silius Italicus, Hellenistic sepulchral epigram, Decius Magius, Hannibal, Atilius Regulus.
Abstract: The tomb of Decius Magius (Sil. 11, 377-384). Verses 377-384 of the eleventh book of Silius Italicus’ Punica are dedicated to the last vicissitudes and death of Decius Magius, the only citizen who publicly disagrees with the pact signed by the Capuans with Hannibal during the Second Punic War. The poem celebrates his memory by adopting motifs present in some Hellenistic sepulchral epigrams, such as the burial far from the homeland and the land that welcomes the deceased, to positively connote his death. His destiny recalls by contrast that of Hannibal and, in a minor key, the story of Atilius Regulus.