Distinguere lingua (Sil. 1, 78): sul primo canto dei Punica e la sua ricezione.

This article is built around two different and intervowen lines. The first topic is Silius’ book 1, and its specific way of ‘sense making’ with choices concerning stylistic and semantic levels (both of which will be the focus of the analysis). The second topic is the relationship between two ‘creative imitators’ of Silius, Cesare Beligoni and Onorato Occioni, translators of Punica in XIX Century in Italy, whose texts - I will argue - are closely related to Silius’ work and one with the other. Links between Punica and our contemporary world are established throughout.