Empire of Ants

Abstract: This article addresses the topos of bees and ants in Roman literature as paradigms of collectivity. Guided by a broadly structuralist methodology, my discussion proceeds in two steps. First, challenging the traditional assimilation of bees and ants reveals unique ant traits moralized by ancient authors. Then scrutinizing ant narratives from Vergil to Apuleius shows that ant behaviors are imbued with imperial concerns. The ants' combination of literary anthropomorphism and zoological naturalism raises the issue of the unscrupulous sides of Rome's success and the socio-cultural norms affected by that dominion.