The ''Dream of Scipio'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Somnium Scipionis''), written by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

, is the sixth book of ''

De re publica ''De re publica'' (''On the Republic''; see below) is a dialogue on Roman politics by Cicero, written in six books between 54 and 51 BC. The work does not survive in a complete state, and large parts are missing. The surviving sections derive ...

'', and describes a (postulated fictional or real)

dream vision A dream vision or ''visio'' is a literary device in which a dream or vision is recounted as having revealed knowledge or a truth that is not available to the dreamer or visionary in a normal waking state. While dreams occur frequently throughout ...

of the Roman

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Scipio Aemilianus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Aemilianus (185 BC – 129 BC), known as Scipio Aemilianus or Scipio Africanus the Younger, was a Roman general and statesman noted for his military exploits in the Third Punic War against Carthage and durin ...

, set two years before he oversaw the destruction of

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

in 146 BC.

Textual history

The ''Somnium Scipionis'' is a portion of the sixth and final book from Cicero's ''

'', but because parts of Cicero's whole work are missing, ''Somnium Scipionis'' represents nearly all that remains of the sixth book.Stahl (1952), p. 10. The main reason that the ''Somnium Scipionis'' survived was because in the fifth-century, the Latin writer

Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

wrote a Neoplatonic commentary on the work, in which he excerpted large portions from Cicero. Additionally, many copies of Macrobius's work were amended with a copy of the ''Somnium Scipionis'' at their end. However, during the Middle Ages, the ''Somnium Scipionis'' became so popular that its transmission was polluted by multiple copies, and today it has been impossible to establish a stemma for it.Zetzel (1995), p. 34.

Upon his arrival in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, a guest at the court of Massinissa, Scipio Aemilianus is visited by his dead grandfather-by-adoption,

Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–) was a Roman general and statesman who was one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Ancient Carthage, Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the greatest milit ...

, hero of the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...

. He finds himself looking down upon Carthage "from a high place full of stars, shining and splendid". His future is foretold by his grandfather, and great stress is placed upon the loyal duty of the Roman soldier, who will as a reward after death "inhabit... that circle that shines forth among the stars which you have learned from the Greeks to call the Milky Way". Nevertheless, Scipio Aemilianus sees that

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

is an insignificant part of the earth, which is itself dwarfed by the stars. Then, Scipio Aemilianus sees that the universe is made up of nine

celestial spheres The celestial spheres, or celestial orbs, were the fundamental entities of the cosmological models developed by Plato, Eudoxus, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, and others. In these celestial models, the apparent motions of the fixed star ...

. The earth is the innermost, whereas the highest is heaven, which "contains all the rest, and is itself the supreme God" (''unus est caelestis'' ..''qui reliquos omnes complectitur, summus ipse deus''). In between these two extremes lie the seven spheres of the Moon, Mercury,

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

, the Sun,

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

, and

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

(which proceed from lowest to highest).Cicero, ''De Republica'
6.17
As he stares in wonder at the universe, Scipio Aemilianus begins to hear a "so great and so sweet" (''tantus et tam dulcis'') sound, which Scipio Africanus identifies as the ''

musica universalis The ''musica universalis'' (literally universal music), also called music of the spheres or harmony of the spheres, is a philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies—the Sun, Moon, and planets—as a form ...

'': the "music of the spheres". He explains to his grandson that because the planets are set apart at fixed intervals, a sound is produced as they move. The moon, being the lowest sphere and the one closest to Earth, emits the lowest sound of all, whereas the heaven emits the highest. The Earth, on the other hand, does not move, remaining motionless at the center of the universe.Cicero, ''De Republica'
6.18
Then the climatic belts of the earth are observed, from the snow fields to the

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

s, and there is discussion of the nature of the

Divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

, the

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and

virtue A virtue () is a trait of excellence, including traits that may be morality, moral, social, or intellectual. The cultivation and refinement of virtue is held to be the "good of humanity" and thus is Value (ethics), valued as an Telos, end purpos ...

, from the Stoic point of view.

Relation to other works

The tale is modelled on the " Myth of Er" in

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

's ''

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

''. Although the story of Er records a

near-death experience A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound personal experience associated with death or impending death, which researchers describe as having similar characteristics. When positive, which the great majority are, such experiences may encompa ...

, while the journey of Scipio's "disembodied soul" takes place in a dream, both give examples of belief in astral projection.

Reception and influence

The literary and philosophical influence of the ''Somnium'' was great.

' ''Commentary upon Scipio's Dream'' was known to the sixth-century philosopher

Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known simply as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480–524 AD), was a Roman Roman Senate, senator, Roman consul, consul, ''magister officiorum'', polymath, historian, and philosopher of the Early Middl ...

, and was later valued throughout the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

as a primer of cosmology. The work assumed the astrological

cosmos The cosmos (, ; ) is an alternative name for the universe or its nature or order. Usage of the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos is studied in cosmologya broad discipline covering ...

formulated by Claudius Ptolemy. Chretien de Troyes referred to Macrobius' work in his first Arthurian romance, '' Erec and Enide'', and it was a model for

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

's account of heaven and hell.

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He ...

referred to the work in " The Nun's Priest's Tale" and especially in the '' Parlement of Foules''. Some critics consider

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

's painting '' Vision of a Knight'' to be a depiction of Scipio's Dream. The

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

, at the age of fifteen, wrote a short

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

entitled '' Il sogno di Scipione'' ( K. 126), with a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Met ...

, based upon Scipio Aemilianus's 'soul-journey' through the cosmos. Iain Pears wrote a historical novel called '' The Dream of Scipio'' which, though attributed to fictional classical writer Manlius, refers to Cicero's work in various direct and indirect ways. Bernard Field, in the preface to his ''History of Science Fiction'', cited Scipio's vision of the Earth as seen from a great height as a forerunner of modern science fiction writers describing the experience of flying in orbit — particularly noting the similarity between Scipio's realization that Rome is but a small part of the Earth with similar feeling by characters in Arthur C. Clarke's works. This story is the basis for Chris McCully's poem "Scipio's Dream" from his collection ''Not Only I'', published in 1996.

Gallery

Images from a 12th-century manuscript of Macrobius' ''Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis'' (Parchment, 50 ff.; 23.9 × 14 cm; Southern France). Date: ca. 1150. Source: Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Bibliotek, ms. NKS 218 4°. Image:Macrobius.jpg, Initial E shaped in the form of a writing man, probably representing Macrobius himself. Image:Macrobius, universe with the earth in the centre.jpg, The Universe, the Earth in the centre, surrounded by the seven planets within the zodiacal signs. Image:Macrobius, climatic zones.jpg, The five

clime The climes (singular ''clime''; also ''clima'', plural ''climata'', from Greek κλίμα ''klima'', plural κλίματα ''klimata'', meaning "inclination" or "slope") in classical Greco-Roman geography and astronomy were the divisions of ...

s of the Earth. Frozen climes in yellow; Temperate climes in blue; Torrid clime in red. Image:Macrobius DK nks218 4o fol 38v.jpg, Sketch map showing the inhabited northern region separated from the antipodes by an imagined ocean at the

equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

. Image:Macrobius, lunar eclipse.jpg, Diagram showing a lunar eclipse. Image:Macrobius, solar eclipse.jpg, Diagram showing a solar eclipse. Images from other manuscripts of Macrobius' ''Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis'': Macrobius - Commentary on Cicero's Somnium Scipionis (Latin), page 01.jpg, 12th century English manuscript. First page from Leiden Gronovius 78. Macrobius - Commentary on Cicero's Somnium Scipionis (Latin), page 01 (miniature monster - cropped) - 2.jpg, Initial monster doodle in first line, "Inter de platonis et ciceronis libros quos de republica...", same. Macrobius - Commentary on Cicero's Somnium Scipionis (Latin), page 28 (Solar system and zodiac - cropped).jpg, Solar system and zodiac, same Macrobius - Commentary on Cicero's Somnium Scipionis (Latin), page 51 (Earth zonal diagram - cropped) - 2.jpg, Earth map with hemispheres and imaginary middle ocean, same.

References

Bibliography

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External links

''Somnium Scipionis''
(in Latin)

(in English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Somnium Scipionis Philosophical works by Cicero Visionary literature Religious cosmologies Early scientific cosmologies Ancient astronomy Roman underworld Fiction about dreams Legendary dreams