WHY DO THE CURAE HAVE CUBILIA (VERGIL, AENEID 6.274)?

This article examines why Vergil's personified Cares (Curae) in Aeneid 6.274 are described as having cubilia, or beds, within the Roman house-like depiction of the Underworld's entrance. It argues that the placement of the Curae in beds reflects their intrinsic connection to sleeplessness and anxiety, as beds are where humans most often experience these "watchful" and "baying" cares that prevent sleep. The study draws on Latin poetic traditions, including Horace and Ovid, to show that curae are frequently associated with vigilance and insomnia, making their possession of beds both symbolically fitting and ironically playful. The article also notes that this detail has been largely overlooked by previous scholarship, which focused more on the location or sources of the personifications rather than the significance of the Curae's cubilia.