Valerius Flaccus

VALERIUS FLACCUS, Gaius, Latin poet who flourished in the period c. A.D. 70-90, composed during the course of the decade 70-80, in smooth monotonous correct and sometimes obscure style, an incomplete epic 'Argonautica' in eight books on the Quest for the Golden Fleece. The poem is typical of his age, being a free re-handling of the story already told by Apollonius Rhodius (LCL No. 1) to whom he is superior in arrangement, vividness, and description of character. He shows much imitation of the language and thought of Virgil, and much learning, rhetoric, and ornamentation. The chief interest of the epic lies in the relations between Medea and Jason, especially the growth of Medea's love where Valerius is at his best. The long series of adventures and various 'Roman' allusions suggest that the poet meant to do honour to Vespasian (to whom the epic is dedicated) with special reference to that emperor's ships in waters round Britain.