Campania in the Flavian Poets’ imagination

This introductory chapter begins with an overview of the representation of Campania, a region noted for its fertility and volcanic landscape, in Latin literature before the period of the Flavian emperors, Vespasian and his sons Titus and Domitian. The chapter also provides an overview of the portrayal of the region by the Flavian authors examined in this volume. For these writers, in particular, who include Martial, Silius Italicus, Statius, and Valerius Flaccus, Campania becomes a locus for literary inspiration as well as geographical disaster. Whilst these poets remain mindful of the strong tradition of Greek culture in the region, they recreate an image of Campania which reflects their contemporary values and anxieties.