Profaning Mars as <i>Devictus</i> in <i>De Rerum Natura</i>

Abstract This paper examines the term devictus (“totally defeated”) in the opening verses of De Rerum Natura . The term carries the heavy baggage of violence and conquest that Rome visited upon its enemies and is most at home in patriotic slogans of victory. The basic argument of the study is that devictus is a highly charged descriptor and especially when applied to Mars. Lucretius, I contend, is tapping into and manipulating an existing discourse of victor and vanquished to recast the war god in an intentionally provocative manner.