Somnium Scipionis: 1 Relation To Other Works

Somnium Scipionis
This article is about the story by Cicero. For the book by icant part of the earth, which is itself dwarfed by the
Iain Pears, see The Dream of Scipio (novel). stars. The planetary spheres are enumerated with refer-
The Dream of Scipio (Latin, Somnium Scipionis), writ- ences to Pythagorean thought and the idea of the Music
of the Spheres. Then the climatic belts of the earth are
observed, from the snow elds to the deserts, and there is
discussion of the nature of the Divine, the soul and virtue,
from the Stoic point of view.
The literary and philosophical inuence of the Somnium
was great. Macrobius commented on it in his Commen-
tarii in Somnium Scipionis, which in turn was an important
source for medieval dream theory.
1 Relation to other works
The tale is modelled on "The Myth of Er" in Plato's

Republic.[1] Although the story of Er records a near-death
experience, while the journey of Scipios disembodied
soul takes place in a dream, both give examples of be-
lief in astral projection.[2]
Macrobius' Commentary upon Scipios Dream was known
to the sixth-century philosopher Boethius, and was later
valued throughout the Middle Ages as a primer of cos-
mology. The work assumed the astrological cosmos for-
mulated by Claudius Ptolemy. Chretien de Troyes re-
ferred to Macrobius work in his rst Arthurian romance,
Erec, and it was a model for Dante's account of heaven
and hell. Chaucer referred to the work in "The Nuns
Priests Tale" and especially in the Parlement of Foules.
Scipio Africanus the Elder, who in Ciceros story appears to his

Some critics consider Raphael's painting Vision of a
grandson and tells him of the universe and his destiny. Knight to be a depiction of Scipios Dream.
The composer Mozart, at the age of fteen, wrote a short
ten by Cicero, is the sixth book of De re publica, and opera entitled Il sogno di Scipione (K. 126) based upon
describes a ctional dream vision of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianuss 'soul-journey' through the cosmos.
Scipio Aemilianus, set two years before he commanded
at the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC. Iain Pears wrote a historical novel called The Dream of
Scipio which refers to Ciceros work in various direct and
Upon his arrival in Africa, a guest at the court of indirect ways.
Massinissa, Scipio Aemilianus is visited by his dead
grandfather (by adoption), Scipio Africanus, hero of the Bernard Field, in the preface to his History of Science
Second Punic War. He nds himself looking down upon Fiction, cited Scipios vision of the Earth as seen from
Carthage from a high place full of stars, shining and a great height as a forerunner of modern science ction
splendid. His future is foretold by his grandfather, and writers describing the experience of ying in orbit par-
great stress is placed upon the loyal duty of the Roman ticularly noting the similarity between Scipios realization
soldier, who will as a reward after death inhabit... that that Rome is but a small part of the Earth with similar
circle that shines forth among the stars which you have feeling by characters in Arthur C. Clarke's works.
learned from the Greeks to call the Milky Way. Never- This story is the basis for Chris McCullys poem Scipios
theless, Scipio Aemilianus sees that Rome is an insignif- Dream from his collection Not Only I, published in 1996.
1
2 4 EXTERNAL LINKS
2 Gallery
Images from a 12th-century manuscript of Macrobius
Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis (Parchment, 50 .;
23.9 14 cm; Southern France). Date: ca. 1150. Source:
Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Bibliotek, ms. NKS 218 4.
The Universe, the Earth in the centre, surrounded by the seven

planets within the zodiacal signs.
Initial E shaped in the form of a writing man, prob-

ably representing Macrobius himself.
The ve climes of the Earth. Frozen climes in yel-

low; Temperate climes in blue; Torrid clime in red.
Sketch map showing the inhabited northern region

separated from the antipodes by an imagined ocean
at the equator.
Diagram showing a lunar eclipse.

Diagram showing a solar eclipse.
3 References
[1] Patrick V. Reid, Readings in Western Religious Thought:
The Ancient World, Paulist Press 1987, page 175
[2] Julian Palley, Bcquers Disembodied Soul, University of

Pennsylvania Press 1979
4 External links
Somnium Scipionis (in Latin)
The Dream of Scipio (in English)
3
5 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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Somnium Scipionis

1 Relation to other works

The tale is modelled on "The Myth of Er" in Plato's

Scipio Africanus the Elder, who in Ciceros story appears to his

The Universe, the Earth in the centre, surrounded by the seven

Initial E shaped in the form of a writing man, prob-

The ve climes of the Earth. Frozen climes in yel-

Sketch map showing the inhabited northern region

Diagram showing a lunar eclipse.

[2] Julian Palley, Bcquers Disembodied Soul, University of

5 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

5.3 Content license

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