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Abstract: At the end of Punica 14, M. Claudius Marcellus transforms from a general famous for his military valor into a founder renowned for his clemency. This paper interprets his transformation in relation to the threat of civil war, which lurks throughout the Sicilian campaign. Earning glory through his commitment to external conquest and internal unity, Marcellus offers a resonant exemplum for a political community beset by fears of provincial unrest. When Silius invites his fellow governors to learn the lessons of the epyllion, he reveals his own awareness that the stability of the empire depends upon the conduct of those who conquer in its name.
Julia Mebane (2024) studied this question.