Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Dolan, Marion

Titel

Background and Objectives

Ist Teil von

• Astronomical Knowledge Transmission Through Illustrated Aratea Manuscripts, 2017, p.1-54

Ort / Verlag

Cham: Springer International Publishing

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This initial section introduces the Greek poem of Aratus, the Phaenomena, and discusses its reception and commentators in ancient Greece; it also explains the background and structure of the original poem. After the poem was translated into Latin, the Phaenomena became equally popular in imperial Rome and attracted many commentators there. The Latin translations of Aratus’ poem, called the Aratea, composed by three authors: Cicero, Germanicus, and Avienus are also described, analyzed, and compared. Astrology had been formulated and systematized by Hellenistic astronomers in the last few centuries BCE, mainly in Alexander, and spread quite quickly, attaining popular acceptance in the main cities of the Roman Empire. Celestial symbolism and artworks became a significant resource in promoting royal propaganda; astronomy, astrology, and imperial apotheosis flourished as popular themes for artistic iconography. Clarifying the misinterpretations of the Phaenomena and the Aratea is most important as many false claims have been attached to these poems. The various scholia attached to the textual material of the Aratea are cited. The last section of this chapter discusses the Aratus Latinus, a later and poorly produced translation of the Greek poem that circulated in illustrated constellation cycles, often wrongly labeled as Aratus or Aratea text.