Kent Academic Repository Full text document (pdf) Citation for published version Burden-Strevens, C. W. (2015) Cassius Dio's Speeches and the Collapse of the Roman Republic. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Glasgow. DOI Link to record in KAR https://kar.kent.ac.uk/63189/ Document Version UNSPECIFIED Copyright & reuse Content in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated all content is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of research The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record. Enquiries For any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: [email protected] If you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.html Cassius Dio’s Speeches and the Collapse of the Roman Republic Christopher Burden-Strevens Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Humanities College of Arts University of Glasgow st October 1 , 2015 © Christopher Burden-Strevens, 01/10/2015 Abstract: Dio’s Speeches & the Collapse of the Roman Republic This thesis argues that Cassius Dio used his speeches of his Late Republican and Augustan narratives as a means of historical explanation. I suggest that the interpretative framework which the historian applied to the causes and success of constitutional change can be most clearly identified in the speeches. The discussion is divided into eight chapters over two sections. Chapter 1 (Introduction) sets out the historical, paideutic, and compositional issues which have traditionally served as a basis for rejecting the explanatory and interpretative value of the ὅὂἷἷἵhἷὅΝiὀΝϊiὁ’ὅΝwὁὄkΝaὀἶΝἸὁὄΝἵὄitiἵiὅiὀgΝhiὅΝRoman History more generally. Section 1 consists of three methodological chapters which respond to these issues. In Chapter 2 (Speeches and Sources) I arguἷΝthatΝϊiὁ’ὅΝprosopopoeiai approximate more closely with the political oratory of that period than has traditionally been recognised. Chapter 3 (Dio and the Sophistic) argues that Cassius Dio viewed the artifice of rhetoric as a particular danger in his own time. I demonstrate that this preoccupation informed, credibly, his presentation of political oratory in the Late Republic and of its destructive consequences. Chapter 4 (Dio and the Progymnasmata) argues that although the texts of the progymnasmata in which Dio will have been educated clearly encouraged invention with a strongly moralising focus, it is precisely his reliance on these aspects of rhetorical education which would have rendered his interpretations persuasive to a contemporary audience. Section 2 is formed of three case-studies. In Chapter 5 (The Defence of the Republic) I explore how Dio placed speeches-in-character at three Republican constitutional crises to set out an imagined case for the preservation of that system. This case, I argue, is deliberately unconvincing: the historian uses these to elaborate the problems of the distribution of power and the noxious influence of and . Chapter 6 (The Enemies of the Republic) examines the ἷxὂlaὀatὁὄyΝὄὁlἷΝὁἸΝϊiὁ’ὅΝὅὂἷἷἵhἷὅΝ fromΝthἷΝὁὂὂὁὅitἷΝὂἷὄὅὂἷἵtivἷέΝItΝiὀvἷὅtigatἷὅΝϊiὁ’ὅΝὂlaἵἷmἷὀtΝὁἸΝdishonest speech into the mouths of military figures to make his own distinctive argument about the role of imperialism in the fragmentation of the res publica. Chapter 7 (Speech after the Settlement) argues that Cassius Dio used his three speeches of the Augustan age to demonstrate how a distinctive combination of Augustan virtues directly counteracted the negative aspects of Republican political and rhetorical culture which the previous two case-studies had explored. Iὀἶἷἷἶ,Ν iὀΝ ϊiὁ’ὅΝ aἵἵὁuὀtΝ ὁἸΝ χuguὅtuὅΝ thἷΝ ἸailuὄἷὅΝ ὁἸΝ thἷΝ res publica are reinvented as positive forces which work in concert with Augustan to secure beneficial constitutional change. © Christopher Burden-Strevens, 01/10/2015 3 Acknowledgements ‘This was not, like the fabled Goddess of Wisdom, the offspring of a single brain. It ought to be regarded as the work of many heads and many hands.’ James Madison, March 10th 1834 I would not dream of comparing this thesis to an undertaking as momentous as the United States Constitution must have been, even if the process of writing it has at times felt comparably exhausting. However, this thesis would never even have been started without the support and contribution of many other heads and hands. The thanks I extend here do not match up to their input, but I will try my best. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to my supervisors, Catherine Steel and Henriette van der Blom. I would not have wanted to supervise me as I first arrived, a rather shambolic 22-year-old graduate. I owe to them the inspiration for the methodological ἵhaὂtἷὄὅΝὁἸΝthiὅΝthἷὅiὅμΝitΝwaὅΝthἷyΝwhὁΝuὀἶἷὄliὀἷἶΝthἷΝimὂὁὄtaὀἵἷΝὁἸΝϊiὁ’ὅΝἷἶuἵatiὁὀΝaὀἶΝ his relationship with his time and sources. For the case-studies, their expertise in the Late Republic has been invaluable. But this is not comparable to the debt I owe them for their patience and support in the herculean (but happily not sisyphean) task of turning me into an efficient and organised human being. I would have been unable to put this thesis together without the support of my colleagues. Within Glasgow, I am grateful above all to Lisa Hau. She has been an endless source of encouragement and friendship in research and teaching. Outwith Glasgow, I am particularly grateful to Adam Kemezis, Christopher Mallan, Brandon Jones, and William Rees, whose research in recent years on Cassius Dio has been of enormous help. The stimulating discussion and kind encouragement of John Rich, Christa Grey, Jen Hilder, Saskia Roselaar, Roman Frolov, Jesper Madsen, Carsten Lange, Zara Chadha, and Elena Giusti has furthermore been invaluable. Particular thanks are also due to Luke Pitcher for his meticulous and invaluable corrections to this thesis above and beyond the call of duty. Above all, I thank my family for persevering in the unenviable Burden of supporting me in the classics. It is only thanks to the huge sacrifices made by my father that I was able to enter my degree and my doctorate. He is the intellectual model of my life; I would be lost without him. I am blessed for my mother and her limitless understanding when faced with my cancellations of our weekly catch-ups. And for my grandmother, Valerie, I cannot write the words. Finally, thank you, Duncan, for putting up with me. 4 Note on Texts and Translations For my primary source of Cassius ϊiὁΝIΝhavἷΝuὅἷἶΝἑaὄy’ὅΝ1λ1ἂ-1927 LCL edition of the text, and have preferred his book-numberings ὁvἷὄΝthὁὅἷΝὁἸΝἐὁiὅὅἷvaiὀ’ὅΝ1ἆλἆΝἷἶitiὁὀΝaὀἶΝ those of earlier scholars. However, for books 72-80 of the history, I have placed the book- ὀumἴἷὄΝὁἸΝἐὁiὅὅἷvaiὀ’ὅΝἷἶitiὁὀΝaἸtἷὄΝἑaὄἷy’ὅΝὀumἴἷὄiὀgΝiὀΝὅὃuaὄἷΝἴὄaἵkἷtὅΝ(ἷέgέΝἑaὅὅέΝϊiὁέΝ 73[72].1.1). All Cassius Dio fragments are taken from the first two of the nine LCL vὁlumἷὅΝaὀἶΝaὄἷΝἶἷὀὁtἷἶΝἴyΝ‘ἔ’ΝἸὁllὁwἷἶΝἴyΝἑaὄἷy’ὅΝἸὄagmἷὀtΝaὀἶΝὅἷἵtiὁὀΝὀumἴἷὄΝ(ἷέgέΝ Cass. Dio. F 2.4). All translations of Dio are my own unless otherwise indicated. For the progymnasmata of Aelius Theon, pseudo-Hermogenes, Aphthonius, and Nicolaus, IΝ havἷΝ uὅἷἶΝ ἕέΝ χέΝ Kἷὀὀἷἶy’ὅΝ Progymnasmata: Greek Textbooks of Prose Composition and Rhetoric, Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2003. In all cases I have preferred to use his translation. Chapter- and section-ὀumἴἷὄὅΝ ἸὁὄΝ χἷliuὅΝ ἦhἷὁὀ’ὅΝ progymnasmata aὄἷΝ thὁὅἷΝ ἵὁὀtaiὀἷἶΝ withiὀΝ Kἷὀὀἷἶy’ὅΝ ἀίίἁΝ ἷἶitiὁὀ,Ν aὀἶΝ ὀὁtΝ thὁὅἷΝ ὁἸΝ ἥὂἷὀgἷl’ὅΝ Rhetores Graeci. For the treatise of pseduo-Hermogenes I have followed Kἷὀὀἷἶy’ὅΝὂὄaἵtiἵἷΝaὀἶΝuὅἷἶΝthἷΝὂagἷ-ὀumἴἷὄὅΝὁἸΝἤaἴἷ’ὅΝHermogenis Opera. For that of Aphthonius I have used the page-ὀumἴἷὄὅΝ ὁἸΝ ἤaἴἷ’ὅΝ Aphthonii Progymnasmata and of ἥὂἷὀgἷl’ὅΝ Rhetores Graeci iὀtἷὄἵhaὀgἷaἴly,Ν aὅΝ ἶὁἷὅΝ KἷὀὀἷἶyέΝ ἔὁὄΝἠiἵὁlauὅ’ΝtἷxtΝ IΝhavἷΝ used the page-ὀumἴἷὄὅΝ ὁἸΝ ἔἷltἷὀ’ὅΝ Nicolai Progymnasmata, again as followed in Kἷὀὀἷἶy’ὅΝἀίίἁΝἷἶitiὁὀέΝ ἔὁὄΝ ἢhilὁὅtὄatuὅ’Ν Vitae Sophistarum IΝ havἷΝ uὅἷἶΝ Wὄight’ὅΝ 1λἀ1Ν LCL edition, but translations of this text are my own unless otherwise indicated. For his Vita Apollonii I have used the first two of three volumes oἸΝἑέΝἢέΝJὁὀἷὅ’ΝὀἷwΝἀίίἃ-2006 LCL edition, again preferring my own translations. Translations into English of French, German, and Italian scholarship are my own, usually with important points of translation preserved in italics in the body of the translation or in the corresponding footnote. All other book, section, and chapter numbers are taken from the LCL edition of each author and quotations of these are my own translation unless otherwise specified. 5 List of Abbreviations Aphth. Aphthonius Prog. Progymnasmata App. Appian BC Bellum Civile Gall. Gallica Mith. Mithridatica Apul. Apuleius Ap. Apologia As. Asinius Aureus Flor. Florida Arist. Aristotle NE Ethica Nicomachea Pol. Politica Rhet. Rhetorica [Arist.] pseudo-Aristotle Rh. Al. Rhetorica ad Alexandrum Aristid. Aristides Or. Orationes Aug. Augustus RG Res Gestae Divi Augusti Caes. Julius Caesar BC De Bello Civile BG De Bello Gallico Cass. Dio. Cassius Dio Historia Romana Cic. Cicero Att.