Honor and Virtue
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David Rafferty, the Fall of the Roman Republic
The Fall of the Roman Republic DAVID RAFFERTY the Mediterranean, meant there was no longer anyone for the Romans to fear, which in turn meant that Rome lost her discipline. Another How did crises change ancient theme blamed greed and ambition for Rome’s societies? problems: greed and success had made some men very rich and others very poor. The rich How did key individuals contribute to had appetites which the Republic could not such events? contain, while they also became corrupt, and the poor had nothing to lose from change. A How might we judge the historical similar theme blamed the ambitions of the significance of these crises and the great men who brought down their Republic: individuals who took part in them?1 they were no longer content to be renowned in a free state, but wanted to dominate their fellow-citizens. Historical significance Most modern scholars have not accepted these explanations. But many causes have been Why did the Roman Republic fall? This blamed for the collapse of the Republic, too question was of great interest to the Romans many to list here. Lintott’s CAH chapter briefly themselves, both at the time and later. The outlines some of them, but the Blackwell best starting point is Andrew Lintott’s chapter Companion to the Roman Republic is a better 1, ‘The crisis of the Republic: sources and source. Such companions tend to be uneven, source-problems’ in CAH 9 (that is, volume but this one is excellent, and thoroughly 9 of the second edition of the Cambridge recommended. -
The Complexity of Roman Suicide Carmine Anthony Ruff
University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Master's Theses Student Research 1974 The complexity of Roman suicide Carmine Anthony Ruff Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.richmond.edu/masters-theses Part of the Classics Commons Recommended Citation Ruff, Carmine Anthony, "The ompc lexity of Roman suicide" (1974). Master's Theses. Paper 937. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE COMPLEXITY OF ROMAN SUICIDE BY CARMINE ANTHONY RUFFA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN CLASSICAL STUDIES MAY 1974 APPROVAL SHEET ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE • . • • . .iv Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . • . • • • • . • • • • • . • 1 II. ANCIENT SUICIDE: A PROBLEM OF SEMANTICS. • • • • • • • • • • • • 5 Latin Citations to Suicide The Absence of A Standard Word Or Phrase III. PHILOSOPHIC SUICIDE . • .11 The Attitude of the Latin Philosophers Toward Suicide The Divergent Views of the Stoic Philosophers The Effect of Cato's Suicide on Stoicism IV. THE TREATMENT OF LUCRETIA'S SUICIDE BY LIVY AND AUGUSTINE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4 4 Section I: Livy's Lucretia Section II: Augustine's Denunciation of Lucretia v. SUICIDE IN THE AENEID • • • • • • . .61 Vergii's Development of Dido's Suicidal Personality The Condemnation of Suicides in the Underworld Amata's Suicide CONCLUSION. .80 APPENDIX I • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 83 APPENDIX II • . .86 BIBLIOGRAPHY . .91 VITA . .99 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to acknowledge two people who have influenced and inspired his academic and professional life. -
Augustus and Auctoritas
Augustus and Auctoritas Lea Cantor University of Cambridge Classics Department Class of 2017 Abstract: This paper addresses the Republican precedent for Augustan auctoritas, with a particular focus on its role in legitimizing near-absolute rule in a State which continued to refer to itself as a res publica, and to its leader as an exceptionally authoritative princeps. If Augustan rule cannot reasonably be described as Republican in nature, much of the terminology used in the Res Gestae—be it in reference to the State (the res publica), to personal auctoritas, or to the role of a princeps—is strikingly Republican in origin. Although Augustus himself is careful not to use phrases such as res publica restituta or res publica reddita,1 the settlement of 13 January 27 B.C. was meant to convey a restoration of the res publica. Augustus’s intention to maintain at least an illusion of compliance with Republican principles2 starkly contrasts the lack of concern which Julius Caesar had shown as dictator for keeping up a pro-Republican profile. Instead, Augustus treads a careful line between expressing Republican sentiment and allowing such a political implication to be drawn from his actions. Even if one understands res publica as “the State,” “the Commonwealth” or, most literally, “the public thing,” the inevitable association of the term with a long tradition of Republican politics should not be downplayed. It was in looking to the past—to the mos maiorum (“nullum magistratum contra morem maiorum delatum recepi”)3—that Augustus claimed to have rebuilt a functional state, rooted out corruption, and put a definitive end to the chaos brought about by approximately 150 years of civil war. -
Cato the Censor and the Beginnings of Latin Prose
Cato the Censor and the Beginnings of Latin Prose Cato the Censor and the Beginnings of Latin Prose FROM POETIC TRANSLATION TO ELITE TRANSCRIPTION Enrica Sciarrino THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS · COLUMBUS Copyright © 2011 by The Ohio State University. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sciarrino, Enrica, 1968– Cato the Censor and the beginnings of Latin prose : from poetic translation to elite tran- scription / Enrica Sciarrino. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8142-1165-6 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8142-1165-8 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-8142-9266-2 (cd-rom) 1. Latin prose literature—History and criticism. 2. Cato, Marcus Porcius, 234–149 B.C.—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. PA6081.S35 2011 878'.01—dc22 2011006020 This book is available in the following editions: Cloth (ISBN 978-0-8142-1165-6) CD-ROM (ISBN 978-0-8142-9266-2) Cover design by Mia Risberg. Text design by Jennifer Shoffey Forsythe. Typeset in Times New Roman. Printed by Thomson-Shore, Inc. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. ANSI 39.48-1992. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Preface and Acknowledgments vii List of Abbreviations xi Chapter 1 Situating the Beginnings of Latin Prose 1 Chapter 2 Under the Roman Sun: Poets, Rulers, Translations, and Power 38 Chapter 3 Conflicting Scenarios: Traffic in Others and Others’ Things 78 Chapter 4 Inventing Latin Prose: Cato the Censor and the Formation of a New Aristocracy 117 Chapter 5 Power Differentials in Writing: Texts and Authority 161 Conclusion 203 Bibliography 209 Index Locorum 229 General Index 231 Preface and Acknowledgments his book treats a moment in Roman cultural history that in the last decade or so has become one of the most contentious areas of dis- T cussion in classical scholarship. -
List of Roman Emperors
• Julio-Claudian Emperors Hadrian 117-138 • Augustus 31 BCE-14 CE • Antoninus Pius 138-161 • Tiberius 14-37 • Marcus Aurelius 161-180 • Caligula 37-41 • Commodus 178-193 • Claudius 41-54 • Nero 54-68 • Severan Dynasty • Year of 4 emperors 68-69 • Septimius Severus 193-211 • Caracalla 198-217 • Flavian Dynasty • Geta 209-212 • Vespasian 69-79 • Macrinus 217-218 • Titus 79-81 • Elagabalus 218-222 • Domitian 81-96 • Severus Alexander 222-235 • Adoptive (Good) Emperors • 50 years of near military • Nerva 96-98 anarchy (20 emperors) until • Trajan 98-117 Diocletian 284-305 • Cleopatra (1963) • Dir. Joseph Mankiewicz • Cleopatra—Elizabeth Taylor • Caesar—Rex Harrison • Marc Antony—Richard Burton • Octavian—Roddy McDowall • How did Octavian finally convince the Roman Senate to declare war on Marc Antony? • By reading Marc Antony’s will in which he requests to be buried in Alexandria, Egypt. Publius Cornelius Tacitus (56-117c) • Senator, historian, orator (aristocratic and conservative) • Held political office during terror of Domitian (81-96) • Consulship in 97 under Nerva; Governor of Asia under Trajan c. 112 • Works: Agricola (eulogy of father-in-law, governor of Britain) Germania (moral contrast: Germany v. Rome) • Annales (Julio-Claudian era 14-68) Historiae (Flavian period 69-96) Tacitus rewrites the Augustan narrative • “Augustus found the whole state exhausted by internal dissensions, and established over it a personal regime known as the Principate.” • “He seduced the army with bonuses, and his cheap food policy was successful bait for civilians. Indeed, he attracted everybody’s good will by the enjoyable gift of peace. Then he gradually pushed ahead and absorbed the functions of the Senate, the officials, and even the law.” • “Opposition did not exist. -
Colleen Mccullough and the Evidence Some Case Studies in the Late Roman Republic
Colleen McCullough and the Evidence Some Case Studies in the Late Roman Republic Blake Cook, BA (Macquarie University) Submitted 9/10/2015 in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Research Department of Ancient History, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Sydney i ii Table of Contents Thesis Summary ...................................................................................................................................... v Declaration ............................................................................................................................................ vii Abbreviations, Citations and References ............................................................................................... ix Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ xi Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Literature Review .................................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter One: The Divorce of Pompey and Mucia ................................................................................ 13 Chapter Two: The 'Bona Dea Affair' ...................................................................................................... 23 Chapter Three: The 'First Triumvirate' ................................................................................................. -
Constructing Caesar: Julius Caesar’S Caesar and the Creation of the Myth of Caesar in History and Space
CONSTRUCTING CAESAR: JULIUS CAESAR’S CAESAR AND THE CREATION OF THE MYTH OF CAESAR IN HISTORY AND SPACE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Bradley G. Potter, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2004 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Erik Gunderson, Adviser Professor Fritz Graf ______________________ Professor Ellen O’Gorman Advisor Department of Greek & Latin ABSTRACT Authors since antiquity have constructed the persona of Caesar to satisfy their views of Julius Caesar and his role in Roman history. I contend that Julius Caesar was the first to construct Caesar, and he did so through his commentaries, written in the third person to distance himself from the protagonist of his work, and through his building projects at Rome. Both the war commentaries and the building projects are performative in that they perform “Caesar,” for example the dramatically staged speeches in Bellum Gallicum 7 or the performance platform in front of the temple of Venus Genetrix in the Forum Iulium. Through the performing of Caesar, the texts construct Caesar. My reading aims to distinguish Julius Caesar as author from Caesar the protagonist and persona the texts work to construct. The narrative of Roman camps under siege in Bellum Gallicum 5 constructs Caesar as savior while pointing to problems of Republican oligarchic government, offering Caesar as the solution. Bellum Civile 1 then presents the savior Caesar to the Roman people as the alternative to the very oligarchy that threatens the libertas of the people. -
No One Is Forced to Wish to Die
Faculty of Arts Master Eternal Rome No one is forced to wish to die Suicide narratives in Augustan and Neronian literature Master thesis 4-11-2017 Dr. N. de Haan Prof. dr. O. J. Hekster Julia Verberne S4192826 Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3 Chapter one: suicide in Roman antiquity ................................................................................... 7 Motives and methods .............................................................................................................. 7 Stoicism and suicide ............................................................................................................. 10 Suicide as alternative for execution ...................................................................................... 12 Chapter two: the pivotal role of Lucretia ................................................................................. 14 Livy: the context of writing Rome’s history ........................................................................ 16 The analysis of the story of Lucretia .................................................................................... 20 Chapter three: Cato’s veneration as a martyr for freedom ....................................................... 27 Julius Caesar and the Roman forms of autocracy ................................................................. 28 Cato the Younger: the perfect Stoic even in death .............................................................. -
Excellence Redefined: the Evolution of Virtus in Ancient Rome
Excellence Redefined: The Evolution of Virtus in Ancient Rome A thesis submitted to Miami University Honors Program in partial fulfillment of the requirements for University Honors with Distinction by Emily J. Trygstad May 2010 Oxford, Ohio i Abstract While there has been extensive academic research for over a thousand years in the field of Classics, it is impressive to note just how much research still needs to be done. For my thesis, I plan to take some of my own personal academic interest and channel it into a largely understudied topic: the evolution of the Roman value of virtus, and the effects that this change produced in Roman society. Virtus, which was in many ways held to be the paramount quality an ancient Roman male could possess, was initially expressed through an assertion of martial prowess. No simple translation for this ideal exists, however; “bravery” or “manliness”, while sometimes used, do not fully render the complex importance of virtus. Historian Myles McDonnell sums the notion up best: “the relationship... between virtus and all the other things the Romans valued – liberty, property, family, and fatherland – is one of dependence. Virtus embraces all that is good because it is virtus that guards and preserves all that is good” (McDonnell, 32). Over the course of time, however, history sees virtus make a gradual shift as an ideal manifested through military distinction to a more liberal celebration of “excellence”, not dissimilar from the Greek notion of‟αρετή. While most classicists and historians alike seem to agree that the ideal did indeed evolve over time, the study of what caused this shift has only barely been explored. -
OEAGR Kaster
Values and Virtues, Roman. Roman morality was in decline for much of Rome’s history—or so we would infer from a recurrent refrain heard virtually from one end of classical antiquity to the other . Here is one voice among many, the historian Tacitus (c. 56–after 118 CE), drawing a contrast between ancient virtue and subsequent vice (Annals 3. 26): Nor was there need for rewards when honorable ends were by their very nature sought; and since people desired nothing contrary to established customs, they were forbidden nothing through fear of punishment. But after the principle of equality was stripped away, and ambition and force strode about in place of restraint and shame, forms of lordly power arose . For Tacitus, “established customs” guaranteed an unforced virtue, which in turn allowed a cooperative community of just, pious, and rugged equals to flourish spontaneously, needing no reward but the good opinion of their neighbors and fearing no punishment save their disapproval. It was only when those customs—collectively, mos maiorum, “the way of the elders”—were trampled underfoot by self-seeking ambition that law became necessary. But by then it was too late for law to undo the damage. So ran the story the Romans told themselves, though it is very doubtful that the idyllic community of pristine times ever existed as a historical fact. It is far more likely that the Romans wishfully projected their better selves onto an idealized past, where they might live in their imaginations the best human life they could conceive. Considered in that light, the “way of the elders” represented an ethical ideal that people might strive to attain rather than a tradition preserved from generation to generation before it was corrupted. -
Robert Morstein-Marx Dignitas and Res Publica
Robert Morstein-Marx Dignitas and res publica Caesar and Republican Legitimacy* How do you define the Roman Republic, as distinct from the Principate, also called the res publica1? A fairly traditional way of doing so would be to point to the collective rule of the élite in the Senate, a power-sharing arrangement policed by limiting the opportunities for individual members to outstrip their peers in power and influence, and decisively bringing them down (on the example of Scipio Africanus) if they did. Thus was regnum prevented. The trouble with this model is that it largely leaves out the Roman People, whose votes and other forms of sup- port were often precisely what gave that disequilibrating boost to a successful senatorial contender for popular favor – a general or urban politician or both. No contio is known to have applauded an appeal to senatorial solidarity or ‘élite equi- librium’. On the contrary, when in 67 Q. Lutatius Catulus, acknowledged leader of the post-Sullan Senate and revered princeps civitatis, opposed the assignment of extraordinary resources to Pompey to combat endemic piracy, he knew that talk of maintaining equilibrium among senators was a lost cause before the voting public and resorted instead to the suggestion that by investing all hope in one man the People were giving hostages to fortune. To his rhetorical question whose gist (the exact wording is lost) was, “After you have entrusted all your hopes in one man, how will you fare if something should happen to him?” the audience imme- diately roared back that they would then turn to him, Catulus2. -
ANCIENT GREEK and LATIN: the Teaching of the Two Classical Subjects, I a COMPARISON Proceed to Their Content
Classica, Sao Paulo, 718: 339-346, 199411995 Having stated historical-differences in ANCIENT GREEK AND LATIN: the teaching of the two classical subjects, I A COMPARISON proceed to their content. PETER WULFING Professor of Latin, 1. First, the Languages themselves. Greek Cologne University is rich in morphemes and, much more than Latin, in particles. So Greek to a greater extent expres- ses the semantic content of discourse on When the problems of our two subjects surface, whilst Latin keeps it in deep structure. are under consideration, we generally speak of I give just a few features: "ancient languages" or "classical philology" The definite article, absent from Latin. without paying much attention to the The ten participles of the Greek verb, differences between the two disciplines thus showing various relationship of time, aspect linked together. and voice; Latin has three. It is accordingly reasonable to seek The middle voice, which expresses so further facts and arguments in a study of their many shades of meaning. differences.' The considerations I am going to The optative mood in addition to the set out spring from common-place beginnings, subjunctive. but lead at least partially to useful educational The capacity to modify any word by reflexions, even concerning credentials. means of particles, whence This method would find favour with the The liberation of word-order in the structuralists, since it is they who have given a sentence. (The contrast with modern English new lease of life to that old instrument of is extreme, the latter language lacking thought, antithetical deliberation. The points syntactical signposts and so needing a rather of difference are numerous, and can easily be fixed word-order in the sentence; French and multiplied.