Mediterraneo: la prima navigazione dei Romani in Floro

Florus’ account of the first voyage of the Romans across the Mediterranean Sea during the first Punic War shows a number of allusions not only to previous historiography, but also to poetry, so as to emphasize the importance of the event and celebrate the prowess of the Roman people. The reference to the myth of the ship Argo, however, also suggests that the crossing of the sea causes the loss of moral integrity of the Roman society, which will eventually stoop to the lowest level of corruption in the age of civil wars.