The article analyses private Roman birthday parties as they are represented in Augustan poetry, to discuss to what extent literary texts from the Augustan period can be trusted as sources revealing historical Realien. It revisits some of our knowledge regarding these celebrations and is especially interested in those birthday rituals referenced in the poems and considered private birthdays. The article makes interpretative remarks on poems where this historical knowledge contributes to our understanding of the poems as literary artworks, but since a large number of poems are covered, no in-depth analysis is attempted.

ROMAN BIRTHDAYS IN THE ELEGIAC STORY-WORLD

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