L’espace sacré de Rome au chant VIII de l’Énéide : des « lieux de mémoire » au paysage allégorique

Abstract

The organization of Roman landscape in Aeneid 8 has an important symbolic and programmatic value, which tends towards what we may call an “allegorical landscape”. Its structure is based upon a general pattern of complementarity or antithetic duality, which leads to a kind of unity following a process of synthetic or dialectical type. This final unity, which transcends all sorts of ambivalence, lies precisely in Augustan Rome, as well as Augustan rule is the factor if unity that conciliates all sorts of dichotomy on the political and historical level. This organizing principle may be put into relief by studying successively the three main elements of landscape which the poet puts before our eyes : the caves, the holy woods and the hills.

Keywords

• Virgil
• Rome
• epic
• landscape
• Palatine
• Capitole