Campanian Geography in Statius’ Silvae

This chapter illustrates Statius’ versatility and originality in adducing literary allusion and imagery in the analysis of a trio of poems which deploy a catalogue of Campanian places to serve three different purposes. A list of places in the area attractive to visitors for their beauty, history, and cultural value supports Statius’ invitation to his wife to join him in Campania (Silv. 3.5). A second poem (4.3) lists places recently connected by the new Via Domitiana in the form of an encomium to a far-sighted, modernizing emperor keen to promote commerce and communications, whilst a third (5.3) celebrates the widespread popularity of the bicultural educational opportunities offered by study in Naples under the tutelage of Statius’ father by listing, in poetic periphrases, the far-flung hometowns of his students.