RES GESTAE OPTIMI TRAIANI: le imprese di Augusto rilette da Plinio il Giovane

This article aims to show the close link between the representation of Trajan’s deeds in Pliny the Younger’s Panegyric and those of Augustus as described in the Res gestae. The analysis, developed through an in-depth reading of the most relevant passages, defines Trajan’s twofold attitude towards his model: on the one hand a singular effort to broaden Augustus’ successes, on the other the tendency to manifest his own self-restraint in contrast to the predecessor’s behaviour. The final section of the article is devoted to Pliny’s treatment of the word saeculum, which powerfully invokes the presence of another Augustan theme: the return of the Golden Age