Editing Ennius (section)

==Literature==
[[File:Parnaso (Raffaello), Ennio Dante e Omero.jpg|thumb|Detail from [[Raphael]]'s ''[[The Parnassus|Parnassus]]'': Ennius, [[Dante]] and [[Homer]]]]
Ennius continued the nascent literary tradition by writing plays in Greek and Roman style ([[praetexta]]e and [[Fabula palliata|palliatae]]), as well as his most famous work, a historical epic in hexameters called the ''[[Annales (Ennius)|Annales]]''. Other minor works include the  ''Epicharmus'', ''Epigrammata'', the ''Euhemerus'', the ''Hedyphagetica'', ''Praecepta''/''Protrepticus'', ''Saturae'' (or ''Satires''), ''Scipio'', and ''Sota''.<ref name=oxford>[[#La Barbera|La Barbera (2014)]].</ref>

===The ''Annales''===
The ''[[Annales (Ennius)|Annales]]'' was an [[Epic poetry|epic poem]] in fifteen books, later expanded to eighteen, covering Roman history from the fall of [[Troy]] in 1184 BCE down to the censorship of [[Cato the Elder]] in 184 BCE.  It was the first Latin poem to adopt the [[dactylic hexameter]] metre used in Greek epic and didactic poetry,<ref>{{cite web|title=FJCL Latin Literature Study Guide|url=http://www.fjcl.org/uploads/4/3/4/0/4340783/latin_lit_study_guide.pdf|publisher=Florida Junior Classical League|access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref> leading it to become the standard metre for these genres in Latin poetry.  The ''Annals'' became a school text for Roman schoolchildren, eventually supplanted by [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]''. About 600 lines survive.

===Minor works===
The ''Epicharmus'' was inspired by the philosophical hypotheses developed by the Sicilian poet and philosopher [[Epicharmus of Kos]], after which Ennius's work took its name.<ref name=ebcite>[[#EB|Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2016)]].</ref><ref>[[#Goldberg|Ennius, Goldberg, & Manuwald (2018)]], pp. 220{{en dash}}21.</ref> In the ''Epicharmus'', the poet describes a dream he had in which he died and was transported to some place of heavenly enlightenment. Here, he met Epicharmus, who explained the nature of the gods and taught Ennius the physics of the [[universe]].<ref>[[#Merry|Merry (1891)]], p. 65.</ref>

The ''Euhemerus'' presented a [[theology|theological]] doctrine based on the ideas of [[Euhemerus]] of Messene, who argued that the gods of [[Mount Olympus (Mountain)|Olympus]] were not supernatural powers that interfere in the lives of humans, but rather heroes of old who [[Apotheosis|after death were eventually regarded as deities]] due to their valor, bravery, or cultural impact (this belief is now known as [[euhemerism]]). Both [[Cicero]] and [[Lactantius]] write that the ''Euhemerus'' was a "translat[ion] and a recount[ing]" of Euhemerus's original work the ''Sacred History'', but it is unclear if this means Ennius simply translated the original from Greek into Latin, or added in his own elements. Most of what is preserved of this work comes to us from Lactantius, and these snippets suggest that the ''Euhemerus'' was a prose text.<ref>[[#Goldberg|Ennius, Goldberg, & Manuwald (2018)]], pp. 238{{en dash}}40.</ref>

The ''Hedyphagetica'' took much of its substance from the [[gastronomy|gastronomical]] [[Epic poetry|epic]] of [[Archestratus]] of Gela. The extant portions of Ennius's poem discuss where a reader might find the best type of fish. Most of the fragments, replete with unique terms for fish and numerous place names, are corrupt or damaged. The ''Hedyphagetica'' is written in [[hexameter]]s, but differs from the ''Annales'' in regards to "metrical practices"; this difference is largely due to each works' distinct subject matter.<ref>[[#Goldberg|Ennius, Goldberg, & Manuwald (2018)]], pp. 260{{en dash}}61.</ref>

The titles ''Praecepta'' and ''Protrepticus'' were likely used to refer to the same (possibly exhortatory) work. However, given this work's almost non-existent nature (only the word ''pannibus''{{em dash}}an "unusual" form of the word ''pannis'', meaning "rags"{{em dash}}is preserved in the work of the [[Latin]] [[Philologist|grammarian]] [[Charisius]]), this position is extremely difficult to verify.<ref name=oxford/><ref>[[#Goldberg|Ennius, Goldberg, & Manuwald (2018)]], pp. 268{{en dash}}69.</ref>

The ''Saturae'' is a collection of about thirty lines from satirical poems{{em dash}}making it the first extant instance of Roman satire.<ref name=oxford/> These lines are written in a variety of poetic metres.<ref name=oxford/><ref>[[#Goldberg|Ennius, Goldberg, & Manuwald (2018)]], pp. 270{{en dash}}71.</ref> The poems in this collection "were mostly concerned with practical wisdom, often driving home a lesson with the help of a fable."<ref name=ebcite/>

Ennius's ''Scipio'' was a work (possibly a [[panegyric]] poem) that apparently celebrated the life and deeds of [[Scipio Africanus]]. Hardly anything remains of this work, and what is preserved is embedded in the works of others. Unfortunately, "no quotation of [''Scipio''] supplies a context".<ref name=scipioegm/> Some have proposed that the work was written before the ''Annales'', and others have said that the work was written after Scipio's 201 BCE triumph that followed the [[Battle of Zama]] (202 BCE).<ref name=scipioegm>[[#Goldberg|Ennius, Goldberg, & Manuwald (2018)]], pp. 286{{en dash}}87.</ref>

The ''Sota'' was a poem, potentially of some length, named after the Greek poet [[Sotades]]. The work, which followed a metre established by Sotades known as the "Sotadeus", concerned itself with a number of disparate topics and ideas.<ref>[[#Goldberg|Ennius, Goldberg, & Manuwald (2018)]], pp. 296{{en dash}}97.</ref>