Virgil: Aeneid Book IX

Aeneid IX marks the beginning of the full-scale narrative of the war between the Trojans and Turnus’ Italians which occupies the last quarter of the epic. Two days during which Turnus launches a siege-assault on the Trojan camp while Aeneas is absent are separated by the nocturnal interlude of the ill-fated expedition of the romantic young Trojans Nisus and Euryalus. In this, the first major single-volume commentary in English on the book, Dr Hardie explores Virgil’s transformation of Homeric models of battle narrative in the service of contemporary Roman ideology. The volume includes a detailed linguistic and thematic commentary on the text, and an introduction consisting of a series of interpretative essays on the book.

• The first major commentary in English on Aeneid IX • Introduction consisting of a series of original interpretative essays • Author has high reputation among Latin scholars

Introduction; 1. The place of book IX in the second half of the Aeneid; 2. The structure of book IX; 3. Links with other books; 4. Reworking Homer; 5. Cities and sieges; solidarity and division; 6. Young men at war; defining the epic hero; Trojans and Italians; 7. Turnus; 8. Homeric gods and Roman religion; knowledge human and divine; recognition; 9. The Nisus and Euryalus episode; P. Vergili Maronis Aeneidos Liber IX; Commentary; Indexes.