This work explores the representation of the Iranian world in Roman poetry from the Republican and Augustan Ages, spanning the 3rd century BC to 14 AD. It examines the literary vision that would influence later generations of poets. The term "Iranian world" encompasses not only the Achaemenid and Arsacid empires but also various Iranian peoples, aiming to reconstruct a comprehensive picture of a civilization that stood as a formidable adversary to the Graeco-Roman world for over a millennium. The author employs a novel approach, merging classical philology and historical analysis to examine poetic passages from a range of Roman poets, including Vergil, Horace, Plautus, Lucretius, and Grattius. This methodology introduces new sources and enhances our understanding of the Iranian world’s portrayal in Roman poetry, highlighting its distinctions from Greek literature. The book contributes to a deeper comprehension of Latin poetry and the Roman perspective on foreign nations. A second part, focusing on Roman poetry from the Imperial and Late Antiquity Ages, is forthcoming. The author, a classical philologist and historian with a Ph.D. from the Jagiellonian University, specializes in Roman poetry and the interactions between the Graeco-Roman world and the Orient, and is currently translating the poetry of Claudian into Polish.
