Book review: The Art of Love by Ovid

[kirispupis]

Continuing on my series, I recently finished The Art of Love by Ovid, translated by James Michie. The text has side-by-side Latin, which I will find useful someday when I learn it. I still found myself looking across at times to see how things were originally stated.

I'd previously read the excellent Metamorphoses (the translation by Charles Martin is amazing) and Fasti. This one attracted the interest of my wife, who wondered why I was reading a book on how to pick up and seduce Roman women. In fairness, that's only the first two books. The last one is intended for women, though I expect a modern woman today wouldn't find it overly interesting, since he sticks to how women should make themselves beautiful for men and where they should go to "catch" one.

The prose from the translation flowed very well and the text is extremely readable and poignant today. Yes, of course there are parts that wouldn't fly today - such as his take on "no means yes" but the part I found most fascinating was his descriptions of where to meet willing women in the day. I laughed a bit when he suggested Livia's statue as a great place. Reportedly this poem infuriated Augustus and I can't imagine he was thrilled that the statue to the "model of Roman piousness" was Rome's best pick-up spot.

I also loved his description of the Colosseum as a great spot where "In such a crowd, in such a push-and-shove, who could fail to find someone to love?" It's works like these that most make one feel like he/she is back in those times.

A bit interesting too was his intrigue on whether his works would be remembered along with the Aeneid and other famous works (clearly they did). Still, it thrilled to read an ancient writer muse on the future of his works that the reader today knows too well.

I certainly wouldn't recommend this book to the prude, as the very end covers the best sexual positions for different types of women, and how to seduce a married woman, despite this being clearly unlawful under Augustus. In fact, at the beginning he promises that everything within is legal, though it clearly wasn't. He also proposes ways of dealing with maids that I suspect wouldn't go over well today.

Eventually, Ovid was exiled to faraway Tomis for this poem and for some other act, which to this day we don't know. He continued writing there and begged to be allowed back, but never was - even after Augustus' death.

Overall, for someone who's looking for a text that's different than the more common love ballads, epics, philosophy, or history works, I recommend this one.

In terms of a relevant coin, I feel one of Livia herself, who indirectly influenced many ancient hookups evidently.

Livia, wife of Augustus
issued under Tiberius, 22-23 CE
Æ 30mm, 13,07g
obv. draped bust of Livia to right as Salus, SALVS AVGVSTA below
rev. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVG P M TR POT XXIIII legend around SC
S.1740, RIC 47, BMC 81

 

And why not one of Venus...

Severina (wife of Aurelian)
Rome, January – September 275 CE
BI Denarius 2.24g, 18mm, 12h
SEVERINA AVG, diademed and draped bust to right /
VENVS FELIX, Venus standing facing, head to left, holding unidentified object (perfume box, apple?) in right hand and long sceptre in left; Є in exergue.
RIC V.1 6; MER-RIC 1861 (temp.)

[JAZ Numismatics]

I find it odd that anything Ovid said should have been considered scandalous in his day. Roman marriages were traditionally socio-political compacts that consolidated power and wealth between families and bound them as allies. As such, it was perfectly acceptable to take lovers on the side when Cupid struck. Seducing married women was par for the course. Perhaps Ovid's crime was that he actually documented what everyone else turned a blind eye to.

[JAZ Numismatics]

I suppose this would be a good place to post a spintria (not mine)...

[Roman Collector]

Ovid was banished by Augustus to Tomis. So, here's one from Tomis in his honor.

Septimius Severus, AD 193-211.
Roman provincial diassarion, AE 21.2 mm, 6.30 g, 7 h.
Moesia Inferior, Tomis.
Obv: ΑY Κ Λ CΕ CΕΥΗΡΟC Π, laureate head, right.
Rev: ΜΗΤΡ ΠΟΝ ΤΟΜЄΩC, Asklepios standing facing, head left, holding serpent-entwined staff and with left hand on hip, B in left field.
Refs: AMNG 2781-85 var.; BMC 3.56,18 var.; Varbanov 4826 var.; Sear 2125 var.

[ominus1]

5 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

Ovid was banished

...yup...that's the word on the cobblestone ....^^