Abstract
Uirginibus Tyriis mos est gestare pharetram, purpureoque alte suras uincire cothurno. It is customary for us Tyrian girls to carry a quiver and to lace our calves up high in red boots. (Verg. Aen. 1.336-7) With these words a disguised Venus explains the accessories of her costume to Aeneas and Achates shortly after the Trojan landing in North Africa. Even detailed commentaries on this passage overlook an important feature: the lines contain a reference to Julius Caesar, who claimed descent from Venus and made a political point of wearing red boots during his dictatorship. This allusion to Caesar connects in significant ways to adjoining passages of the first book of the Aeneid.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 689-692 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Classical Quarterly |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2015 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Classics
- History
- Philosophy
- Literature and Literary Theory
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