Rutilius Claudius Namatianus

Rutilius Claudius Namatianus

▪ Roman poet
flourished AD 417

      Roman poet who was the author of an elegiac (elegy) poem, De reditu suo, describing a journey from Rome to his native Gaul in the autumn of AD 417. The poem is chiefly interesting for the light it throws on the ideology of the pagan landowning aristocracy of the rapidly disintegrating Western Roman Empire.

      Rutilius was a member of one of the wealthy landowning families who almost monopolized high government office in the late empire. The poet himself was master of offices and later, in 414, prefect of Rome. He was clearly a pagan, preoccupied with an idealized picture of the strength and justice of Rome that had little to do with the hard realities of the 5th century AD.

      The occasion of his journey was his return to his Gaulish estates, which had been raided by Franks, Burgundians, and Visigoths in 412–414. The poem survives in a fragmentary condition. The start of Book I is lost; its surviving section begins with a panegyric of Rome and continues for 644 lines. The first 68 lines of Book II survive, and a further fragment of 39 half-lines was first published in 1973. According to his story, Rutilius sailed up the Italian coast by short stages and reached Luna (on the Gulf of La Spezia). There the poem breaks off. The narrative is smooth and relaxed, full of personal observations and giving the impression of a diary. Much of the poem is taken up by digressions occasioned by places or events of the journey, and it is in these that the attitudes and values of the poet and his circle find their clearest expression.

      Rutilius writes Latin of unusual purity for his age, and his elegant and correct elegiac couplets bear witness to his close familiarity with the Augustan elegiac poets, particularly Ovid. Rutilius is an accomplished and pleasing poet, and, had more of his work survived, he might have vied with his contemporary Claudian for the title of last of the Roman poets.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rutilius Claudius Namatianus — (fl. 5th century) was a Roman Imperial poet, notable as the author of a Latin poem, De Reditu Suo, in elegiac metre, describing a coastal voyage from Rome to Gaul in 416. The solid literary quality of the work, and the flashes of light it throws… …   Wikipedia

  • Rutilius Claudius Namatianus — (* in Südgallien) war ein spätantiker römischer Dichter im 5. Jahrhundert n. Chr.; er ist bekannt als Autor des lateinischen Gedichts De Reditu Suo in elegischer Metrik, in dem eine Seereise entlang der Küsten von Rom nach Gallien im Jahr 416… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rutilius Claudius Namatianus — Rutilius Claudius Namatianus,   lateinischer Dichter des frühen 5. Jahrhunderts aus Gallien; beschrieb in elegischen Distichen seine Reise von Rom nach Gallien (417/418); der eindrucksvolle Lobpreis auf die Stadt Rom lässt den Glauben des… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Claudius Rutilius Numatianus — Rutilius Namatianus Rutilius Claudius Namatianus est un poète latin du début du Ve siècle, païen, auteur d un poème narrant son retour de Rome vers la Gaule, le De Reditu suo. Sommaire 1 Vie 2 Œuvre : le De Reditu suo …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rutilius Namatianus — Rutilius Claudius Namatianus est un poète et homme politique latin du début du Ve siècle, païen, auteur d un poème narrant son retour de Rome vers la Gaule, le De Reditu suo. Sommaire 1 Vie 2 Œuvre : le De Reditu suo 3 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rutilius — war das Nomen der gens Rutilia, einer Familie im Römischen Reich, die der plebejschen Nobilität angehörte und ab dem 2. Jahrhundert v. Chr. Bedeutung erlangte. Zu ihr gehören vor allem: Spurius Rutilius Crassus, Militärtribun 417 v. Chr. Publius… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rutilius — may refer to:* The nomen of the gens Rutilia, a family of ancient Rome * Rutilius Claudius Namatianus 5th century AD poet, often referred to as just Rutilius * Gaius Marcius Rutilus first plebeian dictator and censor of ancient Rome, fourth… …   Wikipedia

  • Claudius (Rom) — Die Claudier (lateinisch Claudii oder gens Claudia) waren eine der ältesten römischen Patrizierfamilien (gentes maiores). Kaiser Claudius Jahrhundertelang waren ihre Mitglieder in der Stadt und im Reich an führenden Stellen tätig, seit dem 4.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Namatiānus — Namatiānus, Rutilius Claudius, röm. Dichter aus Gallien, unter Honorius Präfekt von Rom, beschrieb seine Reise aus dem von Alarich zerstörten Rom nach dem von den Westgoten verwüsteten Gallien, 416 n. Chr., in elegischem Maß in zwei Büchern (»De… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Claudius Rutilius Namatianus — Claudius Rutilius Namatianus, romersk digter i begyndelsen af 5. århundrede. Af fødsel var han en galler, men kom til at beklæde høje stillinger i Italien. Da hans godser i Gallien blev plyndrede af vestgoterne, rejste han ad søvejen tilbage til… …   Danske encyklopædi

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”