A Review of Getic Poet Ovid in Pont.iv.13
Abstract
This article focuses on the credibility of Ovid's statement in Pont.iv.13 where he claimed that he had written a poem in Getic tongue and performed it before the Getic audience. From the audience's perspective, this article reconsiders the statement because it was rarely considered by most scholars or was viewed as an imperial propaganda of Ovid. This article discusses Ovid's target audience and provides support by looking closely at the following perspectives: a. Performance, b. Language, and c. The content of this poem. Given primary sources such as inscriptions and several secondary sources, this paper concludes that Ovid's audience was the Tomitians, not the Getae. This paper also suggests a possible interpretation that through this exaggeration, Ovid demonstrated his lack of hope of return or a statement of his poetic immortality.
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