The Celestial Axis in Manilius' Astronomica. Making the invisible visible

This article deals with the description of the celestial axis in Manilius’ Astronomica (1.274-293), an astronomical/astrological Latin didactic poem of the 1st century AD. The celestial axis guarantees the regular and uniform motion of the Cosmos and in Manilius’ explanation represents a sort of ‘agent of providence’ which controls the Universe. By tracking down Manilius’ poetic models and considering the stylistic features of the passage, this essay analyzes the ways that Manilius exposes and popularizes a complex subject. The poet seems to emphasize the immobility and immateriality of the axis, as opposed to the mobility and materiality of the Universe, through the use of the device of paradox. The sense of paradox is accentuated by a description of the Universe in its sublime greatness. By studying the presence of the sublime in the exposure of the axis, this article also takes the cultural models of Manilius (in particular Lucretius) into account.