Draconzio e Ditti Cretese: L’Ephemeris Belli Troiani fonte del Romuleon IX

Dracontius and Dictys of Crete: The Ephemeris belli Troiani
as Source of Romuleon ix, Deliberativa Achillis, an corpus Hectoris vendat
This paper identifies the source of Dracontius’ Romuleon ix, Deliberativa Achillis,
an corpus Hectoris vendat with the Ephemeris belli Troiani of the so-called Dictys
Cretensis. By accepting Dictys and not, as has generally been done, the xxiv
of the Iliad as Dracontius’ source, many open problems in the interpretation of
Romuleon ix are resolved: its genre (it is a suasoria not a deliberativa), the related
problem of its title, the identity of the unknown orator. Reading Dracontius’ text
on the backdrop of the Ephemeris changes the overall interpretation of the Romuleon
ix, which acquires an anti-providentialist and pessimistic perspective about
the fate of the Roman empire entirely congruent with that of Romuleon viii, similarly
derived from the Trojan pseudo chronicle of the Latin Dares. Finally, finding
that Dictys (and Dares) were read, trusted, and used at such an early age in Vandal
Africa will be of interest to all those studying this topic.