Il ‘tempo molle’ di Macrobio: aporie e fragilità nel prologo dei Saturnalia

Abstract

This article offers a fresh look at the prologue written by Macrobius to his Saturnalia. It will
be shown that the chronological indications offered by the author with (apparent) extreme
precedent in Plato’s Symposium, others can be seen as the consequence of the particular
order governing both the saturnalian time and the entire structure of Macrobius’ work.

Key-words: Macrobius, Saturnalia, prologue, temporal inconsistencies.