Varrone e/in Plinio il Vecchio: capolavori greci nel paesaggio letterario di Roma

The paper discusses some mentions of Greek artists, or Greek works of art that could be seen in Rome, in Varro and Pliny the Elder. Particular attention is given to the purpose of such references to visual arts. They aim (a) to make questions of antiquarian research more accessible to a generic reader; (b) to trace a history of the progress of human civilization; (c) to give an overview of the progressive transformation of Rome’s cityscape.