Editing Statius (section)

==Life==
===Family background===
The poet's father (whose name is unknown) was a native of [[Velia]] but later moved to [[Naples]] and spent time in [[Rome]] where he taught with marked success. From boyhood to adulthood, Statius's father proved himself a champion in the poetic contests at Naples in the [[Augustalia]] and in the [[Nemean]], [[Pythian Games|Pythian]], and [[Isthmian Games|Isthmian games]], which served as important events to display poetic skill during the early empire. Statius declares in his lament for his father (''Silv.'' 5.3) that his father was in his time equal to any literary task, whether in prose or verse. He mentioned [[Mevania]], and may have spent time there, or been impressed by the confrontation of [[Vitellius]] and [[Vespasian]] in 69. Statius's father was a Roman ''[[Eques (ancient Rome)|eques]]'', but may have lost his status because of money troubles. At Naples, he was a teacher of Greek and Roman literature who attracted many pupils who were destined for religious offices in Rome. He died in 79 AD. From Pliny the Younger's Letters, it has recently been deduced that Statius also wrote under the pseudonym of Propertius.

===Birth and career=== 
Less is known of the biography of Statius. Born {{circa}} 45 CE, he grew up in the [[Culture of Greece|Greek cultural milieu]] of the [[Bay of Naples]], and his [[Ancient greek education|Greek literary education]] lends a sophisticated veneer to his ornamental verse.<ref>{{Cite book| author = Publius Papinius Statius |url=https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674012080|title= Thebaid|date= 2003|publisher= Harvard University Press|isbn= |volume= |oclc= 475361782}}</ref> From his boyhood he won several poetic contests at his native Naples and three times at the [[Alba (CN)| Alban]] Festival, where he received the golden crown from the hand of the emperor [[Domitian]], who had instituted the contest. For the Alban Festival, Statius composed a [[poem]] on the German and Dacian campaigns of Domitian - which Juvenal lampoons in his seventh satire. Statius is thought to have moved to Rome {{circa | 90}} after his father's death in 79; there he published his acclaimed epic poem the ''Thebaid'' ({{circa | 92}}). In the capital, Statius seems to have made many connections among the Roman aristocracy and court, and he was probably{{cn|date=November 2023}} supported through their patronage. Statius produced the first three books of occasional poetry, his ''Silvae'', which were published in 93, and which sketch his patrons and acquaintances of this period and mention his attendance at one of Domitian's [[Saturnalia]] banquets. He competed in the great [[Capitoline Hill| Capitoline]] competition<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Friedländer
 |first1               = Ludwig
 |author-link1         = Ludwig Friedländer
 |translator-last1     = Freese
 |translator-first1    = J. H.
 |translator-last2     = Magnus
 |translator-first2    = Leonard A.
 |year                 = 1913
 |orig-date            = 1862
 |chapter              = The Arts
 |title                = Roman Life and Manners Under the Early Empire
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=55jq1xTf4F8C
 |volume               = 2
 |publication-place    = London
 |publisher            = George Routledge & Sons
 |page                 = 352
 |access-date          = 3 November 2023
 |quote                = The Capitoline competition, instituted by Domitian in 86, was held in far greater and more lasting repute than the Neronian. [...] At this festival, which was celebrated every fourth summer, poets, singers and musicians competed for the wreath of oak leaves, which the emperor himself presented to the victors [...].
}} 
</ref> -
it is not known in what year, although 94 has been suggested. Statius failed to win the coveted prize, a loss he took very hard. The disappointment may{{cn|date=November 2023}} have prompted his return ({{circa | 94}}) to Naples, the home of his youth. There survives a poem he addressed on this occasion to his wife, Claudia (the widow of a famous singer) who had a musically talented daughter by her first husband, (''Silv.'' 3.5).

===Later years at Naples===
Statius's first three books of the ''Silvae'' seem to have received some criticism, and in response he composed a fourth book' at Naples, which was published in 95. During this period at Naples, Statius maintained his relations with the court and his patrons, earning himself another invitation to a palace banquet (''Silv.'' 4.2). He seems to have taken an interest in the marriage and career of his stepdaughter and, being childless, he also took under his wing a young slave boy, who died c. 95. In that same year Statius embarked on a new epic, the ''Achilleid'', giving popular recitations of his work (Juv. 7.83) only to complete a book and a half before dying in 95, leaving the poem unfinished. His fifth book of ''Silvae'' were published after his death c. 96.