La vecchiaia medicalizzata: sintomatologia di una malattia incurabile. Qualche esempio in letteratura latina

Latin literature expresses two opposing and strongly ideological views of old age: on one hand, old age is seen as the highest expression of dignitas and gravitas, politically active and productive; on the other hand, old age is ridiculed for its physical fragility, represented by the senes stulti and ridi- culous characters of comedy, blending Greek models with the witty Italian spirit. This article focuses on the literary representation of the physical and phenomenological aspects of old age, aiming to highlight the conditioning influence of the scientific theories of Greek medicine, later refined in the Roman era, which contributed to the cultural construct of old age and its stereotypes, including in the context of gender discrimination.