 At 14.685-88, the mention of a contemporary "vir" who has brought peace to the world and put a stop to illegal theft has been interpreted as referring to the accession of Nerva in 96 AD, although this reference to Nerva has been disputed.Thus, composition dates for the poem must be set at c. 83 to c. 96 AD, although since those dates do not include the first two or final three books, they must remain approximate.The poem is a work of Silius' old age, and thus his time spent at his Campanian villas collecting antiques and giving recitations, presumably of the "Punica".