Ovid’s Life of Exile in Tomis and His Observations on the Nomadic Tribes

Abstract

Publius Ovidius Naso was exiled by the edict of Augustus at the age of 51 in December 8 A.D. Although the exact reason for his exile is not known, it seems likely that it was due to a fault for behaviour against Augustus that led to this direct reaction. The city of Tomis (Constanta/Dobrogea), which falls a little north of the Danube River Golden Horn, was chosen as the place of exile of Ovidius. He had to live here for the rest of his life. As compared to Rome, this city not only had harsh winter conditions, but at the same time, tribes such as Getae, Sarmatae and Scythae (Scythians) lived in its vicinity, who continued in their nomadic lifestyles. While in exile, Ovidius wrote three works in the form of poetry, which can also be described as apologetic letters: Tristia/Laments, Epistulae ex Ponto/ Letters from the Black Sea and Ibis. In these poems, he claims that the winter conditions in Tomis are very harsh and long-lasting, and that food shortages occurred in the city due to both plundering and raids and from the climatic conditions. In this study, evidence is brought forward that Ovidius in the above-mentioned three works aimed at misrepresenting his conditions of life and even exaggerated the existence of the hostile Scythians in the vicinity, in order to free himself from exile.

Keywords

• Ovid
• Tomis
• Getae
• Sarmatae
• Scythae

Ovidius’un Tomis’teki Sürgün Hayatı ve Göçebe Kabileler Üzerine Gözlemleri

Abstract

Publius Ovidius Naso, Augustus’un fermanı ile MS 8 yılının Aralık ayında 51 yaşındayken sürgün edilmiştir. Sürgün edilme sebebi tam olarak bilinmese de onun, Augustus’un doğrudan tepkisine yol açabilecek, kusurlu bir davranışından kaynaklanma ihtimali yüksek gözükmektedir. Ovidius’un sürgün yeri olarak Moesia Eyaleti sınırları içinde Tuna Nehri Haliçi’nin biraz kuzeyine düşen Tomis (Constantza/Dobrogea) kenti seçilmiştir. Ovidius hayatının sonuna kadar burada yaşamak zorunda kalmıştır. Roma ile karşılaştırıldığında sert kış şartlarına sahip olan kentin çevresinde göçebe hayat tarzlarını devam ettiren Getae, Sarmatae ve İskitler (Scythae) gibi kabile toplulukları yaşamaktadır. Ovidius sürgün cezasından kurtulmak için af dilekçeleri olarak nitelendirilebilecek şiir şeklinde üç eser yazmıştır: Tristia/Ağıtlar, Epistulae ex Ponto/Karadeniz’den Mektuplar ve Ibis. Ovidius bu eserlerinde Tomis’te kış mevsiminin çok sert ve uzun sürdüğünü gerek yağmalar gerek iklim koşulları nedeniyle kentte sürekli kıtlık yaşandığını iddia etmektedir. Bu makalede Ovidius’un sürgün cezasından kurtulmak için yukarıda bahsedilen üç eserinde içinde bulunduğu hayat koşullarını bilerek kötü gösterdiğine ve hatta bölgede düşmanca tavırlar sergileyen İskit varlığını abarttığına dair kanıtlar ortaya konulacaktır.

Keywords

• Ovidius
• Tomis
• Getae
• Sarmatae
• İskitler

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