Home > De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things) Summary & Study Guide > Historical Context
De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things) | Historical Context
Political Turmoil
During Lucretius' life (94 B.C. to 55 B.C.), Rome suffered a great deal of political upheaval in the struggle for power. In 88 B.C. civil war erupted between the aristocrat Lucius Cornelius Sulla and the populist Gaius Marius. When Marius marched against Rome, he was cruel and vindictive, seeking vengeance on the aristocracy with indiscriminate killing sprees. When Lucretius was a teenager, Sulla returned to Rome to be its dictator, seeking retaliation against those who had opposed him in the earlier conflict. Lucretius also saw the decline of...
[The entire page is 849 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Introduction
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Summary
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Titus Lucretius Carus Biography
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Characters
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Themes
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Style
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Historical Context
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Critical Overview
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Essays and Criticism
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Compare and Contrast
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Topics for Further Study
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): What Do I Read Next?
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Bibliography and Further Reading
- De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things): Pictures
- Copyright
Related Topics
Tell a friend about De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things) at eNotes.
