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Accounts of Northern Barbarians in Tacitus' Annales a Contextual Analysis Damtoft Poulsen, Aske

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Accounts of Northern Barbarians in Tacitus' Annales a Contextual Analysis Damtoft Poulsen, Aske Accounts of Northern Barbarians in Tacitus' Annales A Contextual Analysis Damtoft Poulsen, Aske 2018 Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Damtoft Poulsen, A. (2018). Accounts of Northern Barbarians in Tacitus' Annales: A Contextual Analysis. MediaTryck Lund. Total number of authors: 1 Creative Commons License: Unspecified General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply: Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Read more about Creative commons licenses: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 Accounts of Northern Barbarians in Tacitus’ Annales ii Accounts of Northern Barbarians in Tacitus’ Annales A contextual analysis Aske Damtoft Poulsen DOCTORAL DISSERTATION by due permission of the Faculty of Humanities and Theology, Lund University, Sweden, to be defended at the Centre of Languages and Literature (Hörsalen), 18 May 2018, at 14.15. Faculty opponent Prof. Elizabeth E. Keitel iii Organization Document name LUND UNIVERSITY Doctoral dissertation Centre for Languages and Literature Date of issue 18 May 2018 Author Sponsoring organization Aske Damtoft Poulsen Title and subtitle Accounts of Northern Barbarians in Tacitus’ Annales: a contextual analysis Abstract This doctoral dissertation offers a contextual analysis of accounts of northern barbarians in Tacitus’ Annales. It aims to demonstrate the functions of these accounts, that is, how they are connected to the structure of the books in which they appear as well as of the Annales as a whole. It is argued throughout that accounts of northern barbarians form a key part of Tacitus’ narrative of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (AD 14-68). They allow Tacitus to explore, reflect on, and play with key moments of the Roman past within a fertile interpretive framework. The study comprises 5 chapters; In chapter 1, aim, material, background, methodological framework,and previous scholarship are discussed. Chapters 2-4 consist of analyses of individual accounts of northern barbarians within the books in which they appear. Chapter 2 is entitled “Arminius and his Adversaries: the Germanic civil wars of books 1-2”. This chapter focuses on the narrative of Arminius’ resistance against Rome in books 1-2 (1.55-70, 2.5-26, 2.44-46, 2.88). The recurrent motifs of speeches delivered by northern barbarians are introduced and the variety in their usage demonstrated, the account of Arminius and his adversaries is explored for how it evokes the theme of civil war, and parallels between events in Germania and the (unrealised) civil conflict between Tiberius and Germanicus in Rome are discussed. Chapter 3 is entitled “Thracians (and Romans) under Siege: resistance, suicide, and surrender in book 4”. This chapter treats the account of the Thracian revolt at 4.46-51. The analysis revolves around the debate among the besieged Thracians: potential models for the debate are discussed and its relationship with the main themes of book 4 is investigated, that is, the growing power of Sejanus, the increase of suicides among Roman nobles, and the imperial siege and sack of Rome. Chapter 4 is entitled “Boudicca and her Predecessoresses: a British ‘Lucretia-story’ in book 14”. This chapter deals with the British revolt led by Boudicca at 14.29-39. My analysis includes a comparison with the accounts of the revolt in the Agricola and Dio, a discussion of the theme of female power in book 14, and a reading of the account as a ‘Lucretia-story’: Boudicca’s evocation of Roman heroes and heroines of old and its interpretive consequences for the understanding of book 14 are discussed. Chapter 5 (an epilogue) restates the conclusions of the analyses, reflects on the possibility of summarising the functions of accounts of northern barbarians, relates my findings to the Annales as a whole, and suggests possible perspectives for future research. Key words Tacitus, Annales, Roman literature, historiography, intertextuality, intratextuality Classification system and/or index terms (if any) Supplementary bibliographical information Language English ISSN and key title 1100-7931 Studia Graeca et Latina Lundensia 24 ISBN 978-91-7753-669-7 Recipient’s notes Number of pages 249 Price Security classification I, the undersigned, being the copyright owner of the abstract of the above-mentioned dissertation, hereby grant to all reference sources permission to publish and disseminate the abstract of the above-mentioned dissertation. Signature Date iv Accounts of Northern Barbarians in Tacitus’ Annales A contextual analysis Aske Damtoft Poulsen v Copyright: Aske Damtoft Poulsen Faculty of Humanities and Theology, Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University Studia Graeca et Latina Lundensia 24 ISBN 978-91-7753-669-7 ISSN 1100-7931 Printed in Sweden by Media-Tryck, Lund University Lund 2018 Published with support from Faculty of Humanities and Theology at Lund University Hjalmar Gullbergs och Greta Thotts stipendiefond WAN E S CO IC L D A B R E O L N 1234 5678 vi To Claudia vii viii Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................... xiii 1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Aim of the study ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 Material: accounts of northern barbarians .............................................. 1 1.3 Background: Tacitus and the Principate ................................................. 4 1.4 Methodological framework .................................................................... 8 1.4.1 A narrative ....................................................................................... 9 1.4.2 An overview .................................................................................. 11 1.4.2.1 Premise: historiography and inuentio ..................................... 13 1.4.2.2 Aim: reading (contextually) for structure ............................... 14 1.4.2.3 Reading practice: intratextuality and intertextuality .............. 18 1.5 Previous research .................................................................................. 24 1.5.1 Previous research on Tacitus ......................................................... 24 1.5.2 Previous research on Tacitus’ (accounts of) northern barbarians ............................................................................................... 25 1.6 The chapters of the book ...................................................................... 29 2. Arminius and his Adversaries: the Germanic Civil Wars in Books 1-2 ....................................................................................................... 31 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 31 2.1.1 Arminius in other ancient authors ................................................. 33 2.1.2 Previous research on Arminius ...................................................... 36 2.2 Paraphase of the account of Arminius .................................................. 40 2.2.1 Arminius and Segestes (1.58-59) .................................................. 42 2.2.1.1 The speech of Segestes ........................................................... 43 2.2.1.2 The first speech of Arminius .................................................. 46 2.2.2 Arminius and his brother Flavus (2.9-10) ..................................... 50 2.2.3 Germanicus and Arminius (2.14-15) ............................................. 53 2.2.4 Arminius and Maroboduus (2.44-46) ............................................ 57 ix 2.2.5 The death and obituary of Arminius (2.88) ................................... 63 2.3 Analysis ................................................................................................ 67 2.3.1 Variety and rhetorical aims in the speeches of Arminius and his adversaries ........................................................................................ 68 2.3.1.1 The contrast between freedom and slavery ............................ 70 2.3.1.2 Traitors of the (Germanic) fatherland .................................... 73 2.3.1.3 The Varian disaster ................................................................. 74 2.3.2 Arminius and the Germanic civil war in books 1-2 ...................... 77 2.3.2.1 Civil wars in Rome ................................................................. 78 2.3.2.2 Civil war in Germania ............................................................ 81 2.3.2.3 Arminius, Germanicus, and the consequences of (not) waging civil war ................................................................................
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