Grattius and Augustus

This chapter argues that, although Grattius’ poem is not ostensibly designed for Augustus—who is nowhere evoked in the poem and showed little interest in the subject of hunting—it remains prudent to think about the Cynegetica as a poem about Augustus, or rather, Augustan Rome. Through extensive use of anthropomorphic language, the craft of hunting is subtly configured to promote Augustan-style leadership, in the figures of the master of hounds, the dog breeder, and the tree cultivator, and to celebrate the expanse of the Roman Empire; this is all set, however, within a divine framework that plays out the implications of Augustus’ (at times radical) programme of religious reform.