»Silvani lucus« in the Work of Plautus (Auk 674.766)

Abstract

The contury-old and frequently accepted supposition that Silvani lucus extra tnurum from Plautus s Aulularia (674) in the Attic comedy which was adapted by Plautus represented Pan s cave on the Athenian Acropolis should be rejected, not only because the grove outside the city walls is in no way connected to the cave on the Acropolis but also because the entire episode of hiding treasure has a number of pure roman motifs Plautus employed in characterizing Euclion in a manner the Greeks were incapable of. Since Phides (580 and elsewhere) and auspicium ex cantu and ex tripudio (624 and elsewhere) point, if not entirely thatn at least in great measure, to Plautus s free procedure in adapting the Greek original, it seems improbable that Euclion would say that it is better to entrust Sylvian than Phides with the treasure (certumst, Silvano potius credam quam Fide, 676), if by Sylvian Plautus was meant the ordinary Greek Pan.This illogic disappears if the episode is connected with two Roman ritual regulations stating that it is impermissible to take from Sylvian s place of worship those objects that had been previously brought in (Cato, de agri cukt. CIL VI 576.) This leads to the conclusion that Plautus s Euclion went to the last resort in safekeeping his treasure even if he had to pay the price of forfeiting the rights of freely disposing of his treasure.