Life
Most of what we know about Marcus Valerius Martialis (Eng: Martial) comes from his very generous autobiographical statements, although as with any author, conflating the author with their literary persona can create a misleading portrait.
Martial was born in Bilbilis (near the mod. Calatayud) in Hispania no later than 41 CE. He frequently complained about financial difficulties, though he did a small estate at Nomentum. He entered high society, so he claims, on account of his poetical talents. As poet active at the court of the emperors, Martial was friends with many other high profile authors, including Juvenal, Pliny the Younger, and Silius Italicus, as well as dignitaries and important politicians. Despite this, he still often writes of his poverty and continual desire to be accepted into higher social circles (even if only for a free dinner).
Martial left Rome several times to escape city life, only to long for it again and return. He died sometime around 102 to 104.
Works
Four works of Martial’s survive antiquity. His earliest work is the Liber de Spectaculis, epigrams composed in honor of the Colosseum opening, though as a set it was only published in 81 under Domitian.
In 84, he published (as gifts for friends during Saturnalia) two works of epigrams, the Xenia (“Hospitality”) and Apophoreta (“Take-Aways”). All but the first couple of epigrams in these two works use the classic couplet.
His largest and most important work is the Epigrammata (“Epigrams”), twelve books of epigrams written over a period of about fourteen years, covering the reigns of Domitian and Nerva into the first couple years of Trajan. These are especially valuable for containing many scenes of daily life and interaction as well as shedding light on the strained relationship poets had with their imperial patrons.
Martial Online
Latin: PHI Latin Texts
English: Tertullian
Further Reading
- Sullivan, John P. 2004. Martial: the Unexpected Classic: A Literary and Historical study. Cambridge University. Press.
- Fitzgerald, William. 2007. Martial: The World of the Epigram. University of Chicago Press.
- Spisak, Art L. 2007. Martial: A Social Guide. Duckworth.
- Howell, Peter. 2009. Martial. Ancients in Action. Bristol Classical Press.
