Laus Pisonis
Encyclopedia
The Laus Pisonis is a Latin verse panegyric
of the 1st century AD in praise of a man of the Piso family. The exact identity of the subject is not completely certain, but current scholarly consensus identifies him with Gaius Calpurnius Piso
, consul in AD 57. The Latinity is straightforward; the subject is praised for his oratorical ability as an advocate in law cases, for the kindness with which he maintains his house open to poor men of talent, but also for his skill at playing ball and especially the board game of latrunculi, for which the poem is one of our main sources.
About the author of the work there is considerably more doubt; it has been attributed to Ovid
, Saleius Bassus
and Statius
before an analysis of the text made it clear that the first lived too early and the others too late to write it; Lucan
and Calpurnius Siculus are the leading contenders today. Whoever he was, the author says in the concluding verses of his poem that he was not yet twenty years old.
The work, comprising 261 dactylic hexameters, has come down to us via a single manuscript once preserved in the monastery of Lorsch
, and now lost; although sizable portions were also preserved in several medieval florilegia
, the manuscripts of which are still extant. The editio princeps is in J. Sichard's edition of Ovid, Basel, 1527, and the work has seen about a dozen editions over the centuries, having drawn the attention of Joseph Scaliger and Emil Baehrens
among others. A restoration of the archetype of the florilegia was published by Berthold Ullman (CP 24:109‑132).
Panegyric
A panegyric is a formal public speech, or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical. It is derived from the Greek πανηγυρικός meaning "a speech fit for a general assembly"...
of the 1st century AD in praise of a man of the Piso family. The exact identity of the subject is not completely certain, but current scholarly consensus identifies him with Gaius Calpurnius Piso
Gaius Calpurnius Piso
Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso was a Roman senator in the 1st century. He was the focal figure in the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65 AD, the most famous and wide-ranging plot against the throne of Emperor Nero.-Character and early life:...
, consul in AD 57. The Latinity is straightforward; the subject is praised for his oratorical ability as an advocate in law cases, for the kindness with which he maintains his house open to poor men of talent, but also for his skill at playing ball and especially the board game of latrunculi, for which the poem is one of our main sources.
About the author of the work there is considerably more doubt; it has been attributed to Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, Saleius Bassus
Saleius Bassus
Saleius Bassus was a Roman epic poet. He lived during the reign of Vespasian, being a contemporary of Gaius Valerius Flaccus.Quintilian credited him with a vigorous and poetical genius and Julius Secundus, one of the speakers in Tacitus' Dialogus de Oratoribus styles him a perfect poet and most...
and Statius
Statius
Publius Papinius Statius was a Roman poet of the 1st century CE . Besides his poetry in Latin, which include an epic poem, the Thebaid, a collection of occasional poetry, the Silvae, and the unfinished epic, the Achilleid, he is best known for his appearance as a major character in the Purgatory...
before an analysis of the text made it clear that the first lived too early and the others too late to write it; Lucan
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus , better known in English as Lucan, was a Roman poet, born in Corduba , in the Hispania Baetica. Despite his short life, he is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial Latin period...
and Calpurnius Siculus are the leading contenders today. Whoever he was, the author says in the concluding verses of his poem that he was not yet twenty years old.
The work, comprising 261 dactylic hexameters, has come down to us via a single manuscript once preserved in the monastery of Lorsch
Lorsch Abbey
The Abbey of Lorsch is a former Imperial Abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about 10 km east of Worms, one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany...
, and now lost; although sizable portions were also preserved in several medieval florilegia
Florilegium
In medieval Latin a florilegium was a compilation of excerpts from other writings. The word is formed the Latin flos and legere : literally a gathering of flowers, or collection of fine extracts from the body of a larger work. It was adapted from the Greek anthologia "anthology", with the same...
, the manuscripts of which are still extant. The editio princeps is in J. Sichard's edition of Ovid, Basel, 1527, and the work has seen about a dozen editions over the centuries, having drawn the attention of Joseph Scaliger and Emil Baehrens
Emil Baehrens
Paul Heinrich Emil Baehrens was a German classical scholar.After completing his studies he became Privatdozent at Jena. In 1877 he was appointed ordinary professor at the University of Groningen...
among others. A restoration of the archetype of the florilegia was published by Berthold Ullman (CP 24:109‑132).
External links
- Laus Pisonis: Latin text with summary apparatus, English translation and introduction at LacusCurtiusLacusCurtiusLacusCurtius is a website specializing in ancient Rome, currently hosted on a server at the University of Chicago. It went online on August 26, 1997; in January 2008 it had "2786 pages, 690 photos, 675 drawings & engravings, 118 plans, 66 maps." The site is the...
, a transcription of the edition by J. Wight Duff and Arnold Duff (Loeb Classical LibraryLoeb Classical LibraryThe Loeb Classical Library is a series of books, today published by Harvard University Press, which presents important works of ancient Greek and Latin Literature in a way designed to make the text accessible to the broadest possible audience, by presenting the original Greek or Latin text on each...
, Carmina Minora, Vol. I), in which the Latin text is that of Baehrens with minor changes.