Glenn, I'm glad you found it helpful. There were many different peoples inhabiting Hispania, and Egnatius is identified as a Celtiber (an Iberian Celt, which is also the ancestry that Martial claims). I think Catullus is implying that Egnatius is not merely from a distant province, but also from a barbaric tribe. Educated provincials (like Martial) gravitated to the capital, but I think Catullus is trying to differentiate his own status (from a civilized nearby province) from that of one of those people from the outer fringes of civilization. Egnatius is not a Roman who just happened to own an estate in Hispania.
Susan
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