Di aetas in aetas: considerazioni sulla storiografia di Seneca Padre e Floro

The partition of the history of Rome by aetates is a feature shared by both the historical work of Seneca the Elder and Florus’ historiography. By providing fresh comparison between the texts of these two authors, this study corroborates Canfora’s thesis that Seneca the Elder set the beginning of civil wars in 133 BCE too. As concerns their evaluation of the Augustan Age the comparison between Seneca’s and Florus’ works, along with a new reading of some passages by Florus dedicated to Augustus, shows that the two authors held opposite views on the transition from Republic to Principate. Florus, in fact, seems to ascribe this phenomenon to the wiser and more mature phase almost the acme of the Roman people’s life.