Metalogicon (1992) V, 1

In Andibus

An Essay of Experimental Philology

Davide Nardoni*

Among the vexed questions still alive in the Latin literature, the Vergil's birthplace has not had, as yet, a satisfactory and universally accepted solution. We may range the philologists interested at the question in three sets: to the first set belong the philologists, who convinced that Andes/Pietole, named today ‘Virgilio’, was the birthplace of the poet, defended and still defend the mediaeval tradition; to the second set belong the philologists, who refusing the equation ‘Andes = Pietole’, fixed the poet's birthplace elsewhere in the Padania; to the third set belong the philologists, who refusing the above equation and the different opinions of scholars, went their way searching different solutions to the problem. We, as assertors of experimental philology, having done tabula rasa of such opinions, recommence our discourse pounding the ancient references. The references come from two kinds of sources: A) the direct sources (Vergil); B) the indirect sources (Vergilian commentators).

1. Direct sources

From Vergil's works we quote:

* Presented at 3rd International Symposium on Systems Research Informatics and Cybernetics, Baden - Baden, Germany, August 12-18, 1991, in the Plenary Session on Selected Topics of day August 14. The expression “in Andibus ” is drawn from Caes. B.G., III, 7, 2.

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I) “Referam tibi, Mantua, palmas”1 (I will bring back to thee, Mantua, the palms) II) “Matrisque dedit tibi, Mantua, nomen”2 (Gave thee, o Mantua, his mother's name) III) “Mantua me genuit” 3 (Mantua is my country) IV) “Ergo tua rura manebunt” 4 (So these lands will still be yours) V) “Veteres migrate, coloni” 5 (Begone, ye old tenants!) VI) “Mantua quod fuerat quodque Cremona prius” 6 (What was Mantua, what was Cremona before) VII) “Superet modo Mantua nobis” 7 (Let but Mantua be spared us!) VIII) “Mantua vae miserae nimium vicina Cremonae” 8 (Mantua, alas! to near ill-fated Cremona) IX) “Infelix amisit Mantua campum” 9 (Plain a haples Mantua lost) X) “Sive Mantuam/opus foret volare sive Brixiam” 10 (If there was a necessity to fly either to Mantua or to Brixia). References I) and II) declare Vergil purposed to celebrate Mantua and the foundation of the city due to Etruscans, who had

1 Verg. Georg. III, 12. 2 Verg. Aen. X, 200-201. 3 “Extat apud Probum, Donatum, Hieronymum nisi quod v. 2 pasqua poma Phruges Probi Vaticanus exhibet quae interpolator nescio quis lusit”, O. Ribbeck, P. Verg. Maronis Opera, B.G.Teubner, Lipsia, 1872, p. xxix. 4 Verg. Ecl. I, 47. 5 Verg. Ecl. IX, 4. 6 Verg. Kataleptòn, VIII, 6. 7 Verg. Ecl. IX, 27. 8 Verg. Ecl. IX, 28. 9 Verg. Georg. II, 198. 10 Verg. Kataleptòn, X, 4-5.

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Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 founded their dodecapolis in the Padania; no allusion to Mantua as the poet's birthplace in the two references. Reference III) that opened Vergil's epitaphe on the monument in the Neapolitan suburban area, by declaring Mantua the poet's birthplace, created innumerous disputes among the scholars who translated the Latin sentence: 1) “I was born in Mantua”, 2) “I was born in the Mantua territory”. Latin language supports both different interpretations. In effect, for the Latin speaking people the name ‘Mantua’ denoted: 1) the city (municipium); 2) the city district and territory, indifferently. At the moment, the question is open. Both sound translations do not help us to fix the poet's birthplace in the Mantuan map. By analyzing both translations we are inclined to refuse the first one and accept the second one, because the latter is sustained by the poet who openly declared that his villa and rus were in the Mantuan district. Cicero and Marius were born at Sora and Cereate respectively but both spoke of Arpinum as their birthplace, because they were in Arpinum territory. In the same way Vergil when spoke of Mantua indicated the Mantuan territory. Cicero and Marius spoke of Arpinum, Vergil spoke of Mantua, but they refered to Arpinas ager and to Mantuanus ager respectively. References IV), V), VI), VII), VIII), IX) hint to the poet's land-propriety clearly and to the expropriation of Cremonian and Mantuan country ordered by Augustus, but none of such references carries whatsoever allusion to the poet's birthplace. From the same references it is possible to fix two requisites: a) the poet's villa and rus were in the Mantuan territory; b) the poet's villa and rus were in the Mantuan territory bordering the Cremonian territory. That's all we understand from the poet's references and nothing else.

2. Indirect sources.

From the ancient commentators we quote: i) “Rustico vico Andico qui abest a Mantua milia passuum

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XXX” 11 (In the Andicus vicus distant from Mantua thirty Roman miles) ii) “Rustico vico Andico qui abest a Mantua milia passuum III” 12 (In the Andicus vicus distant from Mantua three Roman miles) iii) “In pago qui Andes dicitur et abest a Mantua non procul” 13 (In the canton called Andes distant from Mantua not far” iv) “In pago qui Andes dicitur haut procul a Mantua” 14 (In the canton called Andes distant from Mantua not far) v) “Civis Mantuanus” 15 (Mantuan citizen) vi) “A rure Mantuano poeta” 16 (The poet born in the Mantuan country). The i) reference proclaims the poet born in a vicus Andicus placed somewhere in the Mantuan country at thirty Roman miles distance from Mantua;17 the ii) reference asserts that the same vicus Andicus was placed somewhere in the Mantuan country at three Roman miles distance from Mantua.18 The different distance from Mantua divided the scholars in two sets: the first defending the “thirty Roman miles distance”, the second defending the “three Roman miles distance”. The dispute among scholars has given no solution to the problem.

11 Vita Probiana, in Vergilii Opera, ed. by G. A. Bussi in (1471) which contains the editio princeps of work (B); Codices: Vaticanus lat. 3522 (G), Monacensis lat. 755, written by Pietro Crinito (1496) in Florence (M); Parisinus lat. 8209 (P); Vaticanus lat. 2930 (V). 12 Vita Probiana, in P. Vergilii Maronis Bucolica Georgica Aeneis, ed. by I.B.Egnatius (1507) in Venice (E). Cf. Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae ed. by C. Hardie, Oxford 1957, p. 22. 13 Vita Donati, in Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae, p. 3. 14 S. Hieronymi Excerpta quae ad Vergilium spectant, de Svetonio Tranquillo deprompta, in Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae, p. 32. 15 Vita Servii, in Vitae Vergilianae Antiquae, p.17. 16 Macrob. Sat., V, 2. 17 B, G, M, P, V. 18 E.

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3. Experimental philological method and arguments.

By following the methodology of experimental philology we shall study the words of references operating upon each of them. We shall enquiry their sense and consequently their denotation by means of scientific criteria. ‘Vicus Andicus, interpreted as “the village named Andes” gave life to the mediaeval tradition and to the equivalence “Andes=Pietole” and corroborated the hypothesis of the “three Roman miles distance” from Mantua to Pietole. We reject the equivalence “Andes=Pietole” because it is supported only by the mediaeval tradition and, consequently, the “three Roman miles distance” for the following reasons. ‘Andes’ is a Celtic name of a Celtic tribe. In Celtic language all names ending in ‘-es’ indicate: 1.) the Celtic tribes living in and extra; 2.) the tribe territory in Gaul and extra.19 In Celtic language all the names ending in ‘-es’ never indicated a city, a village, or the tribe dwelling sites.20 The Romans, who had knowledge of Celtic language and wrote of the Celtic people and country, used two different adjectivs: 1) the adjectivs ending in ‘-icus, -ica, -icum’ to indicate the people's tribe; 2) the adjectivs ending in ‘-inus, -ina, -inum’ to

19 , Alpes, Anartes, Ancalites, Andes, Bigerriones, Bituriges, Brannovices, , , Cenabenses, , Cocosates, , Druides, , Elutes, Gates, Harudes, , , , , Nemetes, Nitiobriges, , , Senones, Sibuzates, Sotiades, Suessones, Tarusates, , Tolosates, Trinovantes, Vangiones, , Vocates. 20 Cf. the following names of cities whose none ends in -es: Admagetobriga, Agendicum, , Atuatuca, , , Bratuspantium, Cavillonum, Cenabum, Decetia, Durocurtorum, Genava, , Gorbina, Lutetia, Matisco, Narbo, Noreia, Noviodunum, Ocelum, Octodurus, Samarobriva, Tolosa, Vallaunodunum, Vesontio.

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Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 indicate the tribe territory; e.g. the Celtic ‘Alpes’ indicates: 1) the Celtic tribe living in the mountains; 2) the mountains called ‘Alps’. From the Celtic name ‘Alpes’ derived two Latin adjectivs: ‘Alpicus’ to indicate the people; ‘Alpinus’ to indicate the tribe's territory.21 Then ‘vicus Andicus’ must be understood as “the village of the Andes” not “the village named Andes”. The village named ‘the village of the Andes’ was due to the Andes, a Celtic tribe which supplanted the Etruscans in the Mantuan territory and after was supplanted by Romans. This village was distant a “thirty Roman miles” from Mantua according to all manuscripts excepted one; was distant “three Roman miles” from Mantua, according to a Bobbio manuscript of the Humanist Giambattista Cipelli, surnamed Egnatius.22 The experimental philologist, by revering the authority of all the concord manuscripts and not neglecting the Bobbio lost manuscript, tries other ways to attain the truth. The poet's references III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX bear that the Vergil's land-property was : a) in the Mantuan territory (ager Mantuanus); b) in the border-line of Cremona territory (ager Cremonensis). This is not sufficient to fix the poet's home in the Mantuan map. Truly, all the vici Andici situated in the Mantuan territory may expostulate the honour of having been the Vergil's birthplace. Among all the vici Andici we must select the vicus Andicus which alone responds to the two requisites: a) to be in the Mantuan territory; b) to be on the ager Cremonensis border-line, being at the distance from Mantua of “three” or “thirty Roman miles”, the measure giving a very strong difficulty.

21 Ex. gr.: (a) “Santonicus” ad Santones pertinens; “Turonicus” ad Turones pertinens; “Bigerronicus” ad Bigerrones pertinens; “Andicus” ad Andes pertinens, etc.; (b) “Alpinus” ad Alpium terram pertinens; “Santoninus” ad Santonum terram pertinens, etc. 22 See above, footnotes 17 and 18.

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To overcome such a difficulty we draw a circumference with center in Mantua and with a radius of three Roman miles; it is easily ascertainable that all the vici Andici circumscript in the aforesaid circumference possess only one of the two requisites, i.e. 1) they all are in the Mantuan territory, but 2) nobody of them is on the Cremonian border-line, wich is distant more than “three Roman miles” as the only lost Bobbio manuscript supposes. Failed the first attempt, the experimental philologist doesn't withdraw from the undertaking.

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We draw another circumference in the Mantuan map, with

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Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 center in Mantua and radius of “thirty Roman miles”, dividing the circumference into four quadrants, clockwise numerating them: 1)-quadrant - from south to west - ; 2)-quadrant - from west to north - ; 3)-quadrant - from north to east - ; 4)-quadrant - from east to south - . Now we observe: all the vici Andici of the four quadrants respond to the a)requisite i.e. to be in the Mantuan territory; the vici Andici of the 3)- and 4)-quadrants do not respond to the b) requisite, i.e. to be in the Cremonian border-line. Therefore we exclude them all. With them we exclude Pietole as Vergil's birthplace and consequently the equation “Andes=Pietole” because this village is in the 4)-quadrant of the aforesaid circumference. There, remain the 2)- and 1)-quadrants, with the vici Andici in both quadrants, to be examined. All the vici Andici of the 2)- and 1)-quadrants respond to the a) requisite but not all the vici Andici in the two quadrants respond to b) requisite. Among the remaining vici Andici placed near the Cremonian border-line, only two were at thirty Roman miles distance from Mantua, one in the 2)-quadrant , the other in the 1)-quadrant. Operating by successive selection, we may affirm: the Vergilian vicus Andicus was necesserily placed: a) in the Mantuan territory; b) near the Cremona border-line; c) in the 2)- or 1)- quadrant, at the distance from Mantua of “thirty Roman miles”. The three requisites exclude peremptorily the equivalence “Andes=Pietole”, formerly rejected by philological discussion, because Pietole responds to the a) requisite, but it doesn't respond to the b) and c) requisites. Now we must proceed to examine the vici Andici situated in the 2)- and 1)-quadrant. Which of them was the vicus Andicus that was Vergil's birthplace? To solve the impasse we pass to study the reference X), drawn out from the Vergilian poem Sabinus ille. Sabinus was a mulateer who with his mule went rapidly to Mantua and to Brixia, indifferently. Vergil, by signalling the Sabinus' rapid flights, did mention the termini ad quos, i.e.

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Mantua and Brixia, but did not mention the terminus a quo, and rightly, Sabinus having large renown in the Padania and who knew the Sabinus' rapid flights, knew also the starting point of Sabinus' swift races. Let's put the Sabinus' starting point somewhere in the Altultrapadania at midway distance between Mantua and Brixia: the Sabinus' starting point must be placed at the thirty Roman miles distance from Mantua and from Brixia, in the 2)-quadrant. Now to the aforesaid requisites we may add the following which completes the liste: the Vergilian vicus Andicus was a) in the Mantuan territory; b) near the Cremona border-line; c) at thirty Roman miles distance from Mantua; d) at midway distance between Mantua and Brixia. The requisites b), c), d) exclude the equivalence “Andes=Pietole”, the mediaeval tradition and the surreptitious Egnatian “three Roman miles” measure. The Vergilian vicus Andicus in the 2)-quadrant of Mantuan map must be placed in the Castel Goffredo country, because the four above requisites justify our assumption , excluding all other hypothesis. This zone, which sole responds to the four above requisites, has the support of epigraphical documentation too. Let us read the following inscriptions:

P · MAGIVS IOVI V · S · L · M ·

- the votive altar, now lost, was found in Castel Goffredo - .

P · MAGIVS · MAN(ius) SIBI · ET · ASSELIAE · M · F · SABINAE · VXORI ET · SATRIAE · M · F · TERTIAE CASSIAE · P · F · SECVNDAE MATRI

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- the stele, found in Casalpoglio, near Castel Goffredo, is now in the Brescia Roman Museum -.

MATRONABV(s) VERGILIA · C · F · VER PR(o MVNATIA · T · F · CA(tvll)A V. S. L. M.

- the ex voto, found in Calvisano, near Castel Goffredo, is now in Brescia, in the local Roman Museum - . No similar inscriptions were found in the remaning Mantuan territory (Mantuanus ager). In the inscriptions we read the praenomen of the poet P · i. e. PVBLIVS, the surname MAGIVS nomen gentis of the Vergil's mother Magia Polla and the proper name VERGILIA, derived for a woman from the family's surname. Now, we must scrutinize the references iii), iv), v), vi). Donatus and Hieronymus were right when they wrote “in pago” because the Latin ‘pagus’, as the Celtic ‘tuàth’, as the German ‘Gau’, as the Swiss ‘cantone’ referred to all the vici of Andes' tribe in the Mantuan territory. The large reference to the pagus in which was situated Vergil's home was restricted by both writers with the adverbial expressions “non procul”, “haut procul”. Donatus and Hieronymus, fully expert of the Latin language they spoke, wrote and taught, knew well the difference carried to the Latin speaking people by the adverbs ‘longe’ and ‘procul’, difference ignored by prehumanists, humanists, modern and contemporary scholars.23 The adverb ‘longe’ indicated the objective distance, measured in miles;24 the adverb ‘procul’ indicated the subjective

23 “Hanc significationem minime praeteriit Glossarium Vetus: §ggÊw, ka‹ makrån ka‹ pÒrroyen” (B. FABER, Thes.Erod. Schol., Lipsia, 1717, Tom. Alt. p.1931, s. v.). 24 Ex. gr.: "Longus pedem septem” (Plin. N.H.,6, 34); “Agmen longum pascitur per valles” (Verg. Aen.,I, 190);

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Metalogicon (1992) V, 1 distance, measured not in miles but by sentiments.25 Therefore we may infer that the distance measured with ‘longe’ and corresponding adjectiv is identical for the ancient Romans and for the men of our time; the distance measured with ‘procul’ was and is very different.We understand Horace who, from the Oppian hill descending to the Appia via, in a two days' journey covered the 68 km distance from Rome to Forum Appii, which the Roman pedestrians covered easily in a day's march; the Christians left Rome to meet the Apostle Paul at Forum Appii and the distance was for them neither hurtful nor harmful.26 Strabo wrote that Antium was “oÈk êpvyen” = “non procul” from Rome and between the two cities there are about 50 km.27 For reference v) see the above discussion of reference III). The reference vi) proclaims that Vergil was born 1) in the Mantuan district; 2) in the country-house of the Magian Family

"Iter Longum” (Hor. Sat., I, 5, 98); “Longissimo agmine magnisque impedimentis” (Caes.B.G., 5, 31). 25 Ex. gr.: “Quis illic est quem procul video?” (Ter. Adelph., 3, 3, 84); “Fumi incendiorum procul videbantur” (Caes. B.G., 5, 46); “Procul a patria” (Verg.Ecl. X, 46); “Proculus is dicitur qui natus est patre peregrinante a patria procul”. 26 Hor. Sat., I, 5, 1-6; Act. Apost., 28, 15. 27 Strabo,Geograph., V, 3, 4 C 231. See also: Teles€a sunexØw OÈenãfrƒ, V, 4, 11 C 250. Remember that between the two towns there are about 70 km. One must add that between Venafrum and Telesia there were Ad Volturnum, Æbutiana, and Alliphæ or Aliphæ with its very large territory, town whose existence is well known to Strabo, so much so that the ancient geographer, before doing a rigorous description of Venafrum and of river Volturnus, which flows alongside the Alliphanus ager, writes literally Afisern€a d¢ ka‹ ÉAllifa‹ ≥dh Saunitika‹ pÒleiw efis€n, ≤ m¢n én˙rhm°nh katå tÚn MarsikÚn pÒlemon, ≤ dÉ ¶ti summ°nousa. ib. V, 3, 10 - C 238.

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(rus Magianum) and we agree with Macrobius because speaking of “rus” he says Vergil born in the country (Mantuanus ager), not in the city of Mantua, and that is an uncontestable truth.

4. Conclusion

Summing up we are well convinced that Pietole, today called “Virgilio”, is not the Poet's birthplace for the following reasons: 1) Pietole is in the southern-eastern side of Mantua while the Poet's land-propriety was in the opposite direction, in the western side; 2) ‘Andes’ was not a name of a Celtic dwelling-site but the name of the Celtic tribe, which in the Mantuan Padania had supplanted the Etruscans; 3) Pietole is at “three Roman miles” distance from Mantua (Egnatius) but not at “thirty Roman miles” distance of all the others mauscripts; 4) Pietole is far removed from the Cremona borderline; 5) Pietole is not at midway distance between Mantua and Brixia. Only Castel Goffredo, in Mantuan territory, centrum of an ideal triangle whose vertices are Mantua, Cremona and Brixia, satisfies all the philological, historical, geographical and epigraphical conditions to be the Vergil's birthplace. Therefore, we are compelled to deduce, that Magia Polla, Publii filia, gave birth to the first sohn of Vergiliomarus, a Celtic of Andes tribe, not in Pietole, as common people and non-scientific philology think, but in Castel Goffredo, as the experimental philology in so far as rigorous science proves incontrovertibly.28

28 The Celtic compound name “Vergiliomarus” = “Verg + Ilios + Maro” signifies “Worker alacrious and great”.

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