Roman News Bulletins
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THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY rat 4 ROMAN NEWS BULLETINS BY MARY EASTMAN WOODIN B. S. Wellesley College, 1890 THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN CLASSICS IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 1914 U_ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/romannewsbulletiOOwood 13 If UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS THE GRADUATE SCHOOL 2^f I? I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY ^huxrs Q)*JJti£L^ C ,, T1TI -^^ EN 1 1 I LED BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF J^^jjt In Charge of Major Work A Head of Department Recommendation concurred in: ! Committee on Final Examination 284671 CONTENTS Bibliography I. Introduction. II. Body of thesis. a. Definition and names, e.g. diurna acta, acta populi. b. Origin and duration. c. Character of news. 1. Politics: decrees, decisions and other acts of the senate. 2, Court records; divorces, marriages, births, deaths. 8. Miscellaneous. d. Style: Petronius's imitation. e. Editorship. f. Form. g. Publication, III. Historical value of the acta. IV. Conclusion. Parallels and differences between Roman news bulletins and the modern newspaper. V/ Appendix. The spnrious fragments of Pighius and Dodwell. Arguments against them. 2. BIBLIOGRAPHY* J. C. F. Bahr: Geschichte der rb'mischen Litteratur. Edit. 4. Carlsruhe,l869, vol. II, pp. 194-196. *A. G. Becker: Romieche Alterthumer. 1879-1880. vol.1, p.3i.II2, p.445. J. Beckmann: Geechichte der Erfindungen. Vol.11, p. 239. Thie reference is given by Lieberkiihn. I have been unable to verify it. *J. H. S. Behrt Observations quaedam in duo Suetonii locos vitae Jul. Ca-esaris. Pro. Gerae. 1822. G. Bernhardy: Grundries der romischen Litteratur. Edit. 4. Braunschweig, 1865, pp. 76-77. e ' G. Boiesier: Le journal de Rome. Revue des deux mondee, 65 annee, 4 periode, 132 (1895), pp. 284-310. Brautigam: Zur Geschichte dee Zeitungswesen bei den Romern. Programm d. Buchhilr. Lehranstalt. Leipzig, 1868. *0, Claeon: Die Presse im alten Rom. Augsb. Allg. Zeitung. 1873. no. 238, Beilage. J. Victor Le Clerc : Des Journeaux chez les Romaine. Paris, 1838, pp.iii,+440. *A. Corradi: II giornaliemo nell' antica Roma [Estratto dal periodico L* Aurora no. 23j. Correggio-Emilia, 1895, pp. 8. Johannes August Erneeti: Excursus I, in his edition of Suetonius. Lipsiae, 1802. A A. Flegler: Zur Geschichte der Posten. Niirnberg, 1858. p. 40. L. Friedlaender : Darstellungen aus der Sittengeschichte Roms. Edit. 7, Leipzig, 1901. vol.1, p. 230. H. Furneaux: Introduction to Tacitus* Annals. Edit. 2. Omford, 1896. vol.1, p. 19 *H. Goll: Ueber das stadtische Nachrichtslatt des alten Roms. Gymn.-Progr. 4. Schleiz, 1868; also Das Ausland (1867) pp. 25-30; 54-59. *H. L. G. Heinze: De spuriis actortim diumorum fragmentis undecim, Fasc. I. Diss. inaug. Gryphiae 1860. Acad. Buchhandlung. pp. 47, . 3. C. Q. Heyne: Censura sex ecriptorumhistoriae Augustae. Gottingae, 1801« vol. VI, p. 64, of his Opuscula Academica. Aemilius Hiibner: De senatus populique Romani actis, pp. 5 59-631. Fleckeisen's Neue Jahrbiicher fur Philologie und Paedagogik. Suppl. vol. Ill, 1857- 1860. Aemilius Hiibner: Die Annales maximi der Romer. Fleckeisen's Neue Jahrbucher fur Philologie und Paedagogik, vol. LXXTX, 1859, pp. 401-423. *E. E. Hudemann: Geschichte des romischen Postweeene wahrend der Eaiserzeit. Programm, 1875. G. Humbert: Acta, Daremberg et Saglio, Dictionnaire des Antiquites, 1877, pp. 49-50. * M W. H. Kolster. in ephemeride antiquitatie studio rum. 1. s. p. 409-438." [This reference is given by Hiibner, De senatus, etc. p. 559. I have been unable to verify itT) J. W. Kubitschek: Acta. Pauly-Wissowasche Real-cncyclopadie. Vol. 1.1, 1894, columns 286-302. G. E. F. Lieberkuhn: De diurnis Romanorum actis. Programm. Vimariae, 1840. pp. 18 J/ Lipsius: Excursus A ad quintum Taciti annalem. Reedited by J. F. Gronovius, Amsterdam, 1685. *E, Caetani-Lovatelli: I giornali presso i Romani. In: Fanfulla della Domenica 14, 1892. no.l; republished in Nuova miscellanea archeologica. Roma, 1894, no. 5; translated by Clara Schooner: Das Zeitungswesen bei den ftomern, in antike Denkmaler und Gebrauche. Leipzig 1896, pp. 43-49 A. Mace: Essai sur Sue'tone. Paris, 1900. pp. 185-198. *K. Mayhoff: Das Zeitungswesen im alten Rom, Nord und Sud, 73, 1895, pp. 341-359. Th. Mommsen: Pomisches Staatsrecht. Ill, 2, 1888, p. 1018. *P. L. Pechenard: Le journal chez les Romains, Reims, 1894. 4. Peter: Die geechichtliche Litter^tur uber die romische Kaiserzeit bis Theodo- eiu8 I und ihre Quellen. Leipzig, 1897. pp. 205-217. St. Pighiue: Annales magistratuum Romanorun, first published 1599. Edit. II, 1618 p. 378, his commentary to the Annals 1585, XV, 43, p. 177. *R. E. Prutz : De fontibus quos in conscribendis rebus inde a Tiberio usque ad mortem Neronis gestis auctores veteres secuti videantur. Halle, 1838, p. 14. W. Rein: Acta. Pauly's Real-encyclopadie, Edit. 2, I, 1864, pp. 132-139. *I . W. A. Reneeen: Disputatio de diurnis aliisque Romanorum aetis. Groningae, S. A. 1857? pp.77. (After EngelmaniQ W. Riepl: Dae Nachrichtswesen des Altertums. Berlin, 1913. pp. vi, 380. A. de Rothschild: Histoire de la poste au lettres et du timbre poste, depuis leur origine jusqu'a nos jouret 2 vols. Paris, 1876. E. Ruggiero: Acta. Dizionario epigrafico di antichita romane. 1895. vol. I, pp. 48-53. 0. A, Ruperti: ad Tacit, prtoem. pp. 16-17. [This reference is given by Lieber- kuhn. I have been unable to verify it in the edition of Ruperti in the Vahlen library]] *C, saxiue : Miscellanea. Lips. nova. II, pp. 636. *F. C. Schloeser: Ueber die Quellen der spateren latein. Geschichtsschreiber, be- sonders liber Zeitungen, offentliche Bekanntmachungen, Archive u. derei Benutzung unter den Kaiser. Archiv fur Gesch. u. Litt. Frankfort, 1830, pp. 80-106. A. Schmidt: Das Staatszeitungswesen der Romer. 1844. In his Abhandlungen zur al- ten Geschichte. Leipzig, 1888, pp. 391-443. *C. G. Schwarz: Plin. Panegyr. 1746, c. 75. Teuf fel-Schwabe : Geschichte der romischen Litteratur. Leipzig, Edit. 5, 1890,vol. I, par. 216. *A. Vannucci: Studii storici e morali sulla litteratura. Edit. 3. XV. I giornali presso gli antichi romani, 859, appendice. 5. *G. L. Walch: Taciti Agricola, 1827, pp. 113-114. *P. Wesselingt Probability lib. sing. Franeq. 1731, pp. 354-385. *A. S. Wilkins: Acta, in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Edit, 3, 1890, pp. 12-14. Carl Zell: tfber die Zeitungen der alten Romer. Rpgramm. Freiburg, 1834, pp. viii,+16. The titles starred have not been available in the preparation of this thesis. 6. Roman News Bulletins. The most complicated expression of literary activity, is that which takes the form of the daily newspaper, and it is only among the most highly civilized peop- les that we find this form of contemporaneous record. This is natural for one of the first evidences of civilization is a widening of interest, on the part of the individual, so that he is no longer concerned merely with what affects himself a±ta alone, nor satisfied with the information he can obtain through conversation only. His interest passes beyond the individual and family, embracing the state as well, and concerns itself with all the political, economic and social life of the na- tion. When conditions are primitive and interests few, and simple, Virgil's ^Fama", is all the newsmonger necessary. What is true in this respect of small and undeveloped nations, we see illus- trated in the little towns and villages of our own country, where a daily news- paper would be a superfluity. But in the busy andcomplex life of a big city and state, such a means of public information is the inevitable outgrowth of the conditions. Communication by word of mouth or private correspondence becomes in- adequate to meet the growing demand of enterprising and public-spirited citizens, to be informed with regard to the happenings in the world around them, and the daily newspaper springs into being to meet this need Rome was no exception to this rule, though some might be surprised to learn that there existed in the Roman state a form of journalism which lasted for over three hundred years. Perhaps some explanation is due here as to why I have called my subject, "Roman News Bulletins", and not "Roman Newspapers". The Roman organ for the publi- cation of news differed in many respects from the modern newspaper, as I shall show later, and in nothing more than in the lack of anything like private subscription and distribution, the characterisitic features of our news system, which is wholly a commercial enterprise. The news being posted in one place for all to see and 7, copy, the term "bulletin has seemed to me more appropriate in thi* connection. I am aware that German sAolars use the word "Zeitung", and the French "Journal*1 in writing of the Roman equivalent, hut because of the essential differences I have mentioned, it has seemed to me more exact to use the word "bulletins", for Boman published Act? were very like the bulletins of news we often see posted out- side the office of a large daily paper. Roman journalism may be considered as an outgrowth of two things, the "Anna- les Maximi", a chronological record of events- of the year, kept by the Pontifex Maximue (Schmidt p. 396), and of the correspondence of private individuals, which became so voluminous and full of matters of state and public interest as to give us real news journals (Riepl p. 380). The names under which we find these Roman gazettes mentioned are various; populi diuma acta (Suetonius, Jul. Cae. 20), acta papuli Romani (Plin. Mai. H. VIII, 40, 145), acta populi (Vopiscus, Probus, 2) acta publica (Suetonius, Tib.