University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2013-05-07 The Ideal of Lucretia in Augustan Latin Poetry Waters, Alison Waters, A. (2013). The Ideal of Lucretia in Augustan Latin Poetry (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28172 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/705 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY The Ideal of Lucretia in Augustan Latin Poetry by Alison Ferguson Waters A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF GREEK AND ROMAN STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA MAY 2013 © Alison Ferguson Waters 2013 ii Abstract This study concerns the figure of Lucretia as she is presented by the Roman historian Livy in the first book of Ab Urbe Condita, where she is intended as an example of virtue, particularly in terms of her attention to woolworking. To find evidence for this ideal and how it was regarded at the time, in this study a survey is made of woolworking references in the contemporary Augustan poets Vergil, Tibullus, Propertius and Ovid. Other extant versions of the Lucretia legend do not mention woolworking; Livy appears to have added Lucretia’s devotion to wool, a tradition in keeping with Augustan propaganda. Woolworking has come to be thought of as a praiseworthy concern of Roman matronae, with Lucretia often cited as an example. Evidence for the laborious nature of the task makes it seem unlikely that high status matronae would willingly work wool. The poets studied here do not in general present woolworking in a positive way. References to wool, especially those of Ovid, are more humorous than respectful. In the Heroides Ovid presents the task as a laborious reality. He also casts doubt on the possibility of distinguishing matronae by ideal costume. Ovid appears to suggest a possible “new” woman, neither matrona nor meretrix. A return to the ideal is seen in Vergil’s Aeneid. Here, after civil upheaval, Dido with her gold weaving is presented as the opposite of the desired Roman matrona who, like Lucretia, is associated with plain wool. Such wool by its nature is in keeping with the surroundings found by Aeneas at his true destination, Pallanteum. The ideal matrona with her wool and costume seems implicit in the Aeneid, though she might well remain an ideal rather than a reality in Augustan society. iii Acknowledgements My most sincere thanks are owed to Dr Peter Toohey, my supervisor, for his continued patient guidance. I am very grateful to Dr Hanne Sigismund Nielsen, Dr Lisa Hughes and Dr Haijo Westra for generous help and advice of many kinds. Dr Reyes Bertolin Cebrian arranged for me to talk with Dr Kelly Olson who kindly shared thoughts on Roman dress. Mrs Eileen Corah has always been ready to assist with my requests. In Australia Mr Roger Pitcher has always been most helpful and supportive, and I thank him along with Dr Toohey and Mr Rob Baker for their inspirational Latin teaching at Armidale. Dr John Ward has offered much encouragement. Mrs Elaine Menzies has been exceptionally generous throughout with her time and technical skill. Lastly, John Waters has done everything but write this thesis himself. iv Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... iv Introduction ..................................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: Lucretia and her Wool; Versions of her Story and its Influence .........................12 Appendix 1 to Chapter One: A Possible Etruscan Lucretia .......................................................57 Appendix 2 to Chapter One: A Woolworking Simile in Aeneid 8 ............................................61 Chapter Two: Elegiac Girls Working Wool; and the Motif of the Returning Husband ............68 Chapter Three: Myth and Reality in Ovid’s Heroides; Examples of Negative References to Woolworking and Costume ..............................................................................121 Chapter Four: Ovid Puts a Different Spin On It; Corinna in the Amores ................................173 Chapter Five: Aeneas in Carthage; Caught in Dido’s Web .....................................................226 Appendix 1 to Chapter Five: Ill-omened Fabulous Textiles, Dangerous Cloaks ...................270 Appendix 2 to Chapter Five: Some Literary and Archaeological Evidence for Elaborate Textiles ...................................................................................................................272 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................275 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................278 Appendix: Woolworking and Costume; Ovid’s Humorous Treatment of Achilles Contrasted With Other Versions of the Same Episode..............................................302 1 Introduction This introduction is divided into three parts. Part 1 outlines the argument of the thesis concerning the ideal of matrona. Part 2 contains necessary technical information about woolworking. Part 3 notes some aspects that need to be considered regarding costume. Part 1. Content of the chapters The central concern of this thesis is with wool, especially in its relation to the Augustan matrona. The ideal matrona is Lucretia, as she is presented by Livy in the first book of Ab Urbe Condita. This depiction of Lucretia is in line with Augustan ideology, especially the fact that woolworking was favoured by Augustus as a traditional activity to be encouraged. Suetonius mentions that Augustus wished his daughter and the other women of his household to be acquainted with woolworking. It comes as no surprise that Livy appears to have introduced woolworking into the Lucretia story in response to the Augustan propaganda agenda; woolworking is not present in other extant versions of the legend, notably missing from Livy’s contemporary, Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Lucretia is represented in versions other than Livy’s as a virtuous wife, but in Livy’s depiction of her it is very much her devotion to woolworking that is identified with her virtue: she is dedita lanae. Lucretia’s association is with plain wool, unadorned, as it is spun from the prepared fleece; her wool bears a connection to the significance of wool in Roman religion, where, for example, woollen fillets bind the heads of sacrificial victims to indicate their purity. For Augustus, as a religious reformer, this connection with Lucretia’s wool would have been attractive. It is Livy’s depiction of the woolworking Lucretia as an exemplum to be imitated that sets her up as the ideal Augustan matrona, but his view of virtuous woolworking was not necessarily that of other writers. A main intention of this thesis is 2 to look at a variety of Roman poets to see how they view both woolworking and its connection to Lucretia, and thus indirectly the apparent propaganda of Augustus. The situation changes with these poets; their attitude to woolworking as a virtue to be praised and respected does not agree with the picture presented by Livy. Most striking in this regard is Ovid, who, like Livy, also treats the Lucretia legend (in Fasti 2) and tells the story at more length and in humorous detail; the woolworking processes are all present (not mentioned in Livy), every item is named, with Lucretia urging on the work. Ovid upends the tradition and presents a Lucretia who resembles an elegiac puella. Vergil, in his early work, the Georgics, appears to have an attitude not unlike Ovid’s. He makes the distinction between the farm wife and the high status woman. The farm wife spins and weaves, labouring over the tasks, since she must. But the high status matrona appears humorously treated, taking the form of a goddess working wool underwater, an impossible situation. Later in Aeneid 8 Vergil uses the same low status woman spinning as an ironic comparison with Vulcan, the God who must rise early, like the poor widow, to fashion armour for Aeneas. The work of the low status spinner is not enviable. Why should a high status woman be involved in this task? In the work of the early elegiac poets Propertius and Tibullus (Chapter Two), the Lucretia figure is again found to be apparent, but not parodied as in Ovid’s version. In these poets she lends her virtuous aspect to the elegiac puella, her direct opposite, and the result is a contradiction in terms. With Propertius and Tibullus, Lucretia and her woolworking return in situations where she now resembles Penelope – who is herself a Lucretia figure -