Tempora Anni, Tempora Hominis: The Seasons as an Ethical-Cosmic Code in Roman Literature

Abstract

This paper explores the role of the seasons (tempora anni) in Roman literature as a symbolic framework for reflecting on ethical, philosophical, and political values. Through an analysis of the works of Virgil, Ovid, Horace, and Lucretius, it is shown how the seasonal cycle becomes a metonym
for human time (tempora hominis), where the natural succession of the seasons mirrors moral and social transformations. The seasons are presented as more than mere descriptions of natural reality; they function as literary codes for identity, responsibility, and the spiritual state of the Roman individual. The seasonal rhythm becomes a means by which Roman authors articulate a cosmological and social order, linking agrarian practice with Stoicism, political renewal, and religious festivals. In this symbolic framework, spring signifies the renewal of virtues and imperial order, summer the fruits of labor and political stability, autumn wisdom and prudence, and winter contemplation and preparation for a new beginning. Through hermeneutic, philological, and ideological analysis, the paper demonstrates how Roman authors rework Hellenic models in accordance with Roman worldview and political context, particularly within the framework of Augustan restoration. The aim is to show that the seasonal cycle in the Roman imaginary is not a mere meteorological constant, but an ethical-cosmological structure that connects the natural, human, and political order.
The seasons are not simply a temporal backdrop to literary action, but a symbolic matrix in which the foundational values of Roman civilization are reflected and legitimized.