Sallust's Histories and Triumviral Historiography
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University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2012 Sallust's Histories and Triumviral Historiography Jennifer Gerrish University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Classics Commons Recommended Citation Gerrish, Jennifer, "Sallust's Histories and Triumviral Historiography" (2012). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 511. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/511 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/511 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Sallust's Histories and Triumviral Historiography Abstract This dissertation explores echoes of the triumviral period in Sallust's Histories and demonstrates how, through analogical historiography, Sallust presents himself as a new type of historian whose "exempla" are flawed and morally ambiguous, and who rejects the notion of a triumphant, ascendant Rome perpetuated by the triumvirs. Just as Sallust's unusual prose style is calculated to shake his reader out of complacency and force critical engagement with the reading process, his analogical historiography requires the reader to work through multiple layers of interpretation to reach the core arguments. In the De Legibus, Cicero lamented the lack of great Roman historians, and frequently implied that he might take up the task himself. He had a clear sense of what history ought to be : encomiastic and exemplary, reflecting a conception of Roman history as a triumphant story populated by glorious protagonists. In Sallust's view, however, the novel political circumstances of the triumviral period called for a new type of historiography. To create a portrait of moral clarity is, Sallust suggests, ineffective, because Romans have been too corrupted by ambitio and avaritia to follow the good examples of the past. In the Histories, Sallust offers new "anti-exempla" for the triumviral period : morally ambiguous characters who refuse to show readers a clear portrait of "good" or "bad". Sallust's new historiography also forces readers to look beyond the claims of Roman peace and glory which were perpetuated by Cicero and the triumvirs. By alluding to the triumviral period in his dark narrative of the 70s and 60s, Sallust suggests that the pretext of concordia perpetuated by the triumvirs is specious, and that underneath this flimsy pretext is a Rome as troubled by civil strife as were the years of the late republic. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Classical Studies First Advisor Cynthia Damon Keywords Civil War, Roman historiography, Sallust, Triumviral Period Subject Categories Classics This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/511 SALLUST'S HISTORIES AND TRIUMVIRAL HISTORIOGRAPHY JENNIFER GERRISH A DISSERTATION in CLASSICAL STUDIES Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2012 Supervisor of Dissertation ______________________ Cynthia Damon, Professor of Classical Studies Graduate Group Chairperson _______________________ Emily Wilson, Associate Professor of Classical Studies Dissertation Committee Joseph Farrell, Professor of Classical Studies Campbell Grey, Assistant Professor of Ancient History Sallust's Histories and Triumviral Historiography COPYRIGHT 2012 Jennifer Gerrish For Rocky. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation could not have been completed without the support and encouragement of my family, friends, and faculty. First and above all, I owe to Cynthia Damon a personal and professional debt which I cannot even begin to explain here and which I look forward to spending a lifetime trying to repay. Thanks also to my committee members, Joseph Farrell and Campbell Grey, whose thoughtful comments, questions, and criticisms helped shape my work at all stages; Joe made me a better philologist and Cam made me a better historian. Jeremy McInerney has been a constant source of support, advice, and rugby-viewing companionship. The entire classical studies faculty of the University of Pennsylvania has contributed to my scholarship and life in some way; it has been a blessing to spend graduate school with such brilliant, kind, and generous people, and I thank them all. I have been blessed with brilliant, kind, and generous graduate colleagues, as well; without them, this dissertation would have been less successful and graduate school a whole lot less fun. The greatest thanks are due to my Tacitean half Caitlin Gillespie, whose work has always been exemplary and inspirational, and never “good not great.” I look forward to showing up at conferences in matching outfits for many years to come. Charles Ham has given generous and insightful feedback on drafts of countless abstracts and papers, and has been a source of support and endless entertainment since our post- bac days. Thanks also to Carrie Mowbray, Kelcy Sagstetter, and Arthur Jones for long conversations over tea, chocolate, and ginger scones. My family has provided unconditional patience, love, and support throughout. iv Thanks to my parents for their unwavering belief in me and the sacrifices they have made all along to support my education, and to my siblings for making me laugh. Finally, Tom Caldwell has been at my side through every page of this dissertation, weathering the bad days with me and celebrating the good ones. I do not exaggerate when I say that I could not have written this without his love. v ABSTRACT SALLUST'S HISTORIES AND TRIUMVIRAL HISTORIOGRAPHY Jennifer Gerrish Cynthia Damon This dissertation explores echoes of the triumviral period in Sallust's Histories and demonstrates how, through analogical historiography, Sallust presents himself as a new type of historian whose “exempla” are flawed and morally ambiguous, and who rejects the notion of a triumphant, ascendant Rome perpetuated by the triumvirs. Just as Sallust's unusual prose style is calculated to shake his reader out of complacency and force critical engagement with the reading process, his analogical historiography requires the reader to work through multiple layers of interpretation to reach the core arguments. In the De Legibus, Cicero lamented the lack of great Roman historians, and frequently implied that he might take up the task himself. He had a clear sense of what history ought to be : encomiastic and exemplary, reflecting a conception of Roman history as a triumphant story populated by glorious protagonists. In Sallust's view, however, the novel political circumstances of the triumviral period called for a new type of historiography. To create a portrait of moral clarity is, Sallust suggests, ineffective, because Romans have been too corrupted by ambitio and avaritia to follow the good examples of the past. In the Histories, Sallust offers new “anti-exempla” for the vi triumviral period : morally ambiguous characters who refuse to show readers a clear portrait of “good” or “bad”. Sallust's new historiography also forces readers to look beyond the claims of Roman peace and glory which were perpetuated by Cicero and the triumvirs. By alluding to the triumviral period in his dark narrative of the 70s and 60s, Sallust suggests that the pretext of concordia perpetuated by the triumvirs is specious, and that underneath this flimsy pretext is a Rome as troubled by civil strife as were the years of the late republic. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE : INTRODUCTION.................................................................................1 1.1 The Career of Sallust..........................................................................................3 1.2 Sallust and Cicero..............................................................................................4 1.3 Historical Allusions : Finding the Thirties in the Seventies.............................17 1.4 Periodization................................................................................................... 26 1.5 Reading the Histories.......................................................................................34 1.6 Review of Scholarship.................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER TWO : SERTORIUS......................................................................................65 2.1 Introduction......................................................................................................65 2.2 Fragment 1.88..................................................................................................77 2.3 The altera res publica......................................................................................96 2.4 Conclusions....................................................................................................113 CHAPTER THREE : SPARTACUS AND THE SLAVE REVOLT.................................116 3.1 Introduction....................................................................................................116 3.2 Spartacus' Prominence in the Histories..........................................................119 3.3 Fractured Power.............................................................................................140 3.4 Latrones..........................................................................................................151