Lucilia (wife of Lucretius)

This article is about the wife of Lucretius. For other uses, see Lucilia (disambiguation).

Lucilia is believed to have been the wife of the Roman philosopher Lucretius (c. 99 BC – c. 55 BC), though there is little evidence of their relationship, let alone marriage.[1][2] Moreover, the name 'Lucilia' was not associated with Lucretius until many centuries after his death. In Walter Map's twelfth century work titled De nugis curialium, 'Lucilia' is the name of a woman who murders her husband by giving him a potion that causes him to go insane.[1] It wasn't until 1511, in Pius's vita, that the name 'Lucilia' became associated with Lucretius.[1] Some have even questioned whether this association was made-up for the sake of writing, that is, to maintain literary style.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Palmer, Ada (2014-10-13). Reading Lucretius in the Renaissance. Harvard University Press. pp. 132–133. ISBN 9780674725577.
  2. ^ Merrill, William Augustus (1907). Lucretius De Rerum Natura. p. 17.
  3. ^ Lyly, John (1916). Euphues. pp. 334. lucilia Lucretius.