Oceani fluctus me numerare iubes
et maris Aegaei sparsas per litora conchas
et quae Cecropio monte vagantur apes,
quaeque sonant pleno vocesque manusque theatro
cum populus subiti Caesaris ora videt.
Nolo quot arguto dedit exorata Catullo
Lesbia: pauca cupit qui numerare potest.
--Martial, Epig. 6.34
Diadumenus, give me rapid-fire kisses. How many, you ask?
You order me to count the waves of the Ocean,
and the number of shells scattered on the Aegean beaches
and the number of bees wandering over the Athenian mount,
and the number of voices and applause heard in an amphitheater whenever Caesar suddenly appears.
I don't want the amount that Lesbia gave to her Catullus, who made a similar request:
a number of kisses that can be counted is too few.
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MARTIAL
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MAP:
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Name: Marcus Valerius Martialis
Date: 40 CE – 104 CE
Works: Epigrammaton
Libri XV*
De
Spectaculis
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REGION 2 (Hispania)
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BIO:
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Timeline:
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Originally from Bilbilis, Hispania, the poet Martial moved to Rome in
the 60s CE to advance his career. His two extant works include de
Spectaculis, a collection of poems written to commemorate the opening of
the Colosseum, and a fifteen volume collection of epigrams. These epigrams
provide valuable insight into the mores and private lives of men and
women from all of the city’s social classes.
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SILVER AGE ROME
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