Ajax: A Roman Myth

This volume enhances our understanding of the many readings the figure of Telamonian Ajax underwent in its passage through Roman culture.  While a few occurrences have already received critical attention, this study provides a thorough examination of the various forms Ajax took in Latin literature, from the early Republic to the early Empire. Indeed, single instances only reveal their fully synchronic and diachronic significance when placed in the complex array of the Roman Ajax(es). Furthermore, tracing the explicit and implicit resonances of Ajax’s myth sheds light on strategies of inter-cultural appropriation (Greece–Rome) and intra-cultural evolution (within the Roman world), for the varied Ajax-resonances mirror the redefinitions of identity that ‘Rome’ itself underwent throughout its history.  This study addresses a significant gap in the growing body of scholarly literature on Ajax and his manifestations in ancient culture. It evaluates the role played by this originally-not-Roman heroic identity in Roman culture, which is in fact capable of holding up a mirror to Rome’s cultural identity. It also provides, as a corollary, a milestone for a broader understanding of Ajax’s multifaceted afterlife in Western culture.