Floro storiografo fra retorica e lingua poetica: a proposito di praef. 3 e di 1,1,16-18

This article proposes some remarks on two passages of the historiographical work of Florus, in particular with regard to the topic image of the brevis tabella (praef. 3) and of the report of the apotheosis of Romulus (1,1,16-18); the purpose is to get new reflections on some literary characters of the work and to illustrate by new stylistic arguments the rhetorical appeal of Florus’ literary setting. The writer does not repeat the classical and Livian way of writing history as opus oratorium, but he does not even choose a poor and essential style, characteristic of the tradition of the breviarii: the stylistic analysis and the survey on any literary models shows that Florus aims to give his own prose a color that we can call generally poetic. So, for the historian this is a way to increase the effectiveness of his writing and to communicate adequately with a selective audience, contemporaries and future readers, more careful to enhancing this original feature.