Valerius Maximus, Facta et Dicta Memorabilia [Memorable Words and Deeds]

Rebecca Langlands (University of Exeter)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 30

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Anthology/ Collection
Instructional / reference

Resources

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Valerius Maximus’

Memorable Words and Deeds

is perhaps better known today as the inspiration for some of the greatest art and literature of later centuries than as a literary composition in its own right; most scholars of the Renaissance, for instance, will have come across Valerius as the author of a compendious source of moral tales from antiquity. Published in Rome in about 30 CE, during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, Valerius Maximus’ work is a compilation of over one thousand moral anecdotes, or

exempla

, of the kind regularly deployed by Roman orators and philosophers to illustrate their arguments, organised thematically within nine volumes. Most of these tales of virtue and vice, taken from historical works, would have been well known to the original Roman readers. They are…

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3399 words

Citation: Langlands, Rebecca. "Facta et Dicta Memorabilia". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 September 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35515, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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