Late Antique Historiography

Life of Vergil

Title(s):
  • Life of Vergil
  • Carmen de vita Vergilii
    (Carmen de vita Vergilii, Poem on the life of Vergil)
Author:
Period covered:
70-19 B.C. (life of Virgil until the journey to Greece)
Language:
Latin
State of Preservation:
Partial
Genre:
  • Biography (general)
  • Poetry (general)
Remarks:
The Life by Phocas is the only example of a Virgilian biography written in verse: the 24 lines of Preface are in sapphics, the others in hexameters. At the end of the composition, there is a lacuna.
Mazhuga (2003) argues for an early-third-century date for Phocas.
Edition - Translation:
  • G. Brugnoli, F. Stok (1997) Vitae Vergilianae antiquae (Scriptores Graeci et Latini consilio Academiae Lynceorum editi). Rome: 159-169.
  • G. Brugnoli (1995=1984) Foca: Vita di Virgilio (Testi e studi di cultura classica, 1). Pisa.
Fragments:
Users:
Sources:
Bibliography:
  • G.E. Duckworth (1958) 'The cradle of flowers (Ecl. IV, 23)'. Transactions of the American Philological Association 89: 1-8.
  • L. Havet (1913) 'Phocas, Vie de Virgile 74'. Revue de philologie, de littérature et d'histoire anciennes 37: 6-7.
  • V.I. Mazhuga (2003) 'À quelle époque vivait le grammairien Phocas?' Revue de philologie, de littérature et d'histoire anciennes 77: 67-77.
  • S. McGill (2010) 'Another man's miracles: Recasting Aelius Donatus in Phocas' Life of Virgil'. In: From the tetrarchs to the Theodosians: Later Roman history and culture 284-450 CE, ed. E. Watts - S. McGill. Cambridge: 153-170.
  • W. Strzelecki (1936) 'De Phocae vita Vergiliana'. In: Munera philologica Ludovico Ċwikliński bis sena lustra professoria claudenti ab amicis collegis discipulis oblata. Poznań: 235-252.