"The originality of the volume lies in the fact that Söllradl starts by reconstructing the historical evidence surrounding an aspect of Vespasian’s rule from historiographical sources (esp. Suetonius, Flavius Josephus and Tacitus), before comparing it to scenes in the Argonautica. In this thorough and detailed study, discrepancies between poetic fiction and historical realities are not explained away, but interpreted as the reflection of a hesitant but hopeful poet still deeply shaken by the end of Nero’s reign and the ensuing civil war of 69 CE. [...]In short, this book provides a critical synthesis of both historical and literary scholarship on Valerius Flaccus’ epic and the Empire under Vespasian. It is a major update to our current reading of the Argonautica." Melissande Tomcik, University of Toronto in BMCR 2024.01.45