Astronomica (Manilius)

For the work thought to be by Hyginus, see De astronomia.

Astronomica
by Marcus Manilius
The first page of the Astronomica, from a 1461 manuscript
TranslatorThomas Creech
Edward Sherburne
G. P. Goold
Writtenc. AD 30–40
CountryRoman Empire
LanguageLatin
Subject(s)astronomy, astrology
Genre(s)Didactic
MeterHexameter
Published in English1674/1697
Media typemanuscript
Lines4,200

The Astronomica (Classical Latin: [astrɔˈnɔmɪka]), also known as Astronomicon, is a Latin didactic poem[nb 1] about celestial phenomena, written in hexameters and divided into five books. The Astronomica was written c. AD 30–40 by a Roman poet whose name was likely Marcus Manilius; little is known of Manilius, and although there is evidence that the Astronomica was probably read by many other Roman writers, no surviving works explicitly quote him.

The earliest work on astrology that is extensive, comprehensible, and mostly intact, the Astronomica describes celestial phenomena, and, in particular, the zodiac and astrology. The poem—which seems to have been inspired by Lucretius's Epicurean poem De rerum natura—espouses a Stoic, deterministic understanding of a universe overseen by a god and governed by reason. The fifth book contains a lacuna, which has led to debate about the original size of the poem; some scholars have argued that whole books have been lost over the years, whereas others believe only a small section of the work is missing.

The poem was rediscovered c. 1416–1417 by the Italian humanist and scholar Poggio Bracciolini, who had a copy made from which the modern text derives. Upon its rediscovery, the Astronomica was read, commented upon, and edited by a number of scholars, most notably Joseph Justus Scaliger, Richard Bentley, and A. E. Housman. The poem was never as popular as other classical Latin poems and was neglected for centuries after its rediscovery. This started to change during the early 20th century when Housman published his critically acclaimed edition of the poem in five books (1903–30). Housman's work was followed by G. P. Goold's lauded English translation in 1977. Today, scholars consider the Astronomica to be highly technical, complicated, and occasionally contradictory. At the same time, many have praised Manilius's ability to translate heady astronomical concepts and complex mathematical computations into poetry.

  1. ^ Volk (2009), p. 174.
  2. ^ Campbell (2004), p. 209.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference keithxix was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Anthony, Most, & Settis (2010), p. 85.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference harvardloeb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Moul 2017.
  7. ^ a b Volk (2009), p. 179.


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