Martin Wight
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199273676
- eISBN:
- 9780191602771
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199273677.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Machiavelli’s popular image is inadequate, for it ignores the idealism of his intense Italian patriotism. He starts with the ‘is’ rather than the ‘ought’ and rejects transcendentalism. He derives, ...
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Machiavelli’s popular image is inadequate, for it ignores the idealism of his intense Italian patriotism. He starts with the ‘is’ rather than the ‘ought’ and rejects transcendentalism. He derives, although uncritically, his realism from historical examples found in Livy (The Discourses) as well as from contemporary politics (The Prince). He sees men as bad although their pursuit of power reflects their insecurity. One way to understand Machiavelli is through political irony, which fascinated him. He has a bias towards extremism and ruthlessness and lays emphasis upon virtù (political skill) and fortuna (luck). The political art is to move with the tide of history.Less
Machiavelli’s popular image is inadequate, for it ignores the idealism of his intense Italian patriotism. He starts with the ‘is’ rather than the ‘ought’ and rejects transcendentalism. He derives, although uncritically, his realism from historical examples found in Livy (The Discourses) as well as from contemporary politics (The Prince). He sees men as bad although their pursuit of power reflects their insecurity. One way to understand Machiavelli is through political irony, which fascinated him. He has a bias towards extremism and ruthlessness and lays emphasis upon virtù (political skill) and fortuna (luck). The political art is to move with the tide of history.
S. P. Oakley
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558681
- eISBN:
- 9780191720888
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558681.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter compares the accounts of the triple combat of the Horatii in the histories of Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, in order to cast light on the style and historiographical techniques of ...
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This chapter compares the accounts of the triple combat of the Horatii in the histories of Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, in order to cast light on the style and historiographical techniques of these two authors and also their debt to earlier historians. Matters discussed include both authors' use of the external audience provided by the spectators of the combat, Dionysius's debt to Herodotus and Thucydides, his self-consciously tragic writing, his obsession with akribeia, Livy's structuring of this part of his first book, and his style.Less
This chapter compares the accounts of the triple combat of the Horatii in the histories of Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, in order to cast light on the style and historiographical techniques of these two authors and also their debt to earlier historians. Matters discussed include both authors' use of the external audience provided by the spectators of the combat, Dionysius's debt to Herodotus and Thucydides, his self-consciously tragic writing, his obsession with akribeia, Livy's structuring of this part of his first book, and his style.
Ross Shepard Kraemer
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199743186
- eISBN:
- 9780199894680
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199743186.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion in the Ancient World
Four case studies illustrate how ancient narratives of women’s religious practices are less about women’s religions and more about the deployment of gender for various purposes. Livy depicts women as ...
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Four case studies illustrate how ancient narratives of women’s religious practices are less about women’s religions and more about the deployment of gender for various purposes. Livy depicts women as major players in the importation of Bacchic rites to Rome in the second century B.C.E. to feminize and denigrate these foreign rites. A resurrected Christian woman in the apocryphal Acts of Thomas reports back on the torments in hell that await women and men who violate gender norms, thus serving as the guarantor of a divinely authorized gendered ethic. Rabbinic debates about teaching women Torah say much about rabbinic anxieties and fantasies and little if anything about real women studying Torah in antiquity. Justin Martyr’s account of an elite Roman matron whose husband opposed her efforts to live a life of self-disciplined Christian asceticism demonstrates how the Christian life can make everyone, even women—by their nature less rational and ill-suited to self-discipline—the truest exemplars of the righteous philosophical life.Less
Four case studies illustrate how ancient narratives of women’s religious practices are less about women’s religions and more about the deployment of gender for various purposes. Livy depicts women as major players in the importation of Bacchic rites to Rome in the second century B.C.E. to feminize and denigrate these foreign rites. A resurrected Christian woman in the apocryphal Acts of Thomas reports back on the torments in hell that await women and men who violate gender norms, thus serving as the guarantor of a divinely authorized gendered ethic. Rabbinic debates about teaching women Torah say much about rabbinic anxieties and fantasies and little if anything about real women studying Torah in antiquity. Justin Martyr’s account of an elite Roman matron whose husband opposed her efforts to live a life of self-disciplined Christian asceticism demonstrates how the Christian life can make everyone, even women—by their nature less rational and ill-suited to self-discipline—the truest exemplars of the righteous philosophical life.
D. S. Levene
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198152958
- eISBN:
- 9780191594168
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198152958.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Prose and Writers: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This book studies Livy's Third Decade (Books 217–30), our fullest source for one of the most crucial wars of all time, the Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War) between Carthage and ...
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This book studies Livy's Third Decade (Books 217–30), our fullest source for one of the most crucial wars of all time, the Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War) between Carthage and Rome in 219–202 bc. The book is in five chapters. Chapter One examines Livy's construction of his narrative, looking at the division into ten books, his handling of chronology, and the connections he draws between the different parts of his story. Chapter Two looks at his use of literary allusion and his handling of his source-material, especially in his relationship to the earlier Greek historian Polybius. Chapter Three deals with his characterization of individuals and his sophisticated but ambivalent attitudes towards non-Romans. Chapter Four deals with battle scenes, with particular reference to how victory or defeat is determined. Chapter Five brings material from the other chapters together to give a broad account of Livy's concept of historical causation. The book argues that Livy portrays a world in which military calculation and human reason constantly fail — a world in which events occur beyond normal human comprehension, but where everything is governed by a hidden moral structure.Less
This book studies Livy's Third Decade (Books 217–30), our fullest source for one of the most crucial wars of all time, the Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War) between Carthage and Rome in 219–202 bc. The book is in five chapters. Chapter One examines Livy's construction of his narrative, looking at the division into ten books, his handling of chronology, and the connections he draws between the different parts of his story. Chapter Two looks at his use of literary allusion and his handling of his source-material, especially in his relationship to the earlier Greek historian Polybius. Chapter Three deals with his characterization of individuals and his sophisticated but ambivalent attitudes towards non-Romans. Chapter Four deals with battle scenes, with particular reference to how victory or defeat is determined. Chapter Five brings material from the other chapters together to give a broad account of Livy's concept of historical causation. The book argues that Livy portrays a world in which military calculation and human reason constantly fail — a world in which events occur beyond normal human comprehension, but where everything is governed by a hidden moral structure.
Anna J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199226825
- eISBN:
- 9780191710278
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199226825.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter explains the dangers of making absolute claims about geographical or conceptual orgins for divine qualities, and of positing overly clear‐cut ‘Greek’/‘Roman’ dichotomies, pointing out ...
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This chapter explains the dangers of making absolute claims about geographical or conceptual orgins for divine qualities, and of positing overly clear‐cut ‘Greek’/‘Roman’ dichotomies, pointing out some of the problematic consequences in older and more recent work. It focuses instead on claims made about their origins, in Republican evidence, including that of Varro and Cicero, and in later stories, especially in Livy and also in Pliny the Elder for example, taking account of the nature of the sources in which these claims survive. The chapter explores the stories told about the introduction of cult and foundation of temples or shrines to divine qualities in Rome during the ‘Struggle of the Orders’ (pudicitia plebeia, salus, concordia, victoria), the Punic Wars (fides, spes, libertas, mens, ops, concordia, and perhaps honos), and the early second‐century bc (pietas).Less
This chapter explains the dangers of making absolute claims about geographical or conceptual orgins for divine qualities, and of positing overly clear‐cut ‘Greek’/‘Roman’ dichotomies, pointing out some of the problematic consequences in older and more recent work. It focuses instead on claims made about their origins, in Republican evidence, including that of Varro and Cicero, and in later stories, especially in Livy and also in Pliny the Elder for example, taking account of the nature of the sources in which these claims survive. The chapter explores the stories told about the introduction of cult and foundation of temples or shrines to divine qualities in Rome during the ‘Struggle of the Orders’ (pudicitia plebeia, salus, concordia, victoria), the Punic Wars (fides, spes, libertas, mens, ops, concordia, and perhaps honos), and the early second‐century bc (pietas).
Alan Cameron
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199747276
- eISBN:
- 9780199866212
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199747276.003.0015
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
The most famous of all Latin subscriptions are those that, in various forms and combinations, close each of the first nine books of Livy in a number of manuscripts. This chapter considers two ...
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The most famous of all Latin subscriptions are those that, in various forms and combinations, close each of the first nine books of Livy in a number of manuscripts. This chapter considers two incomplete Symmachan attempts to produce a corrected Livy. No one has ever attempted to distinguish the copy made for Valerianus from the copy attested by the subscriptions. Yet at the same time no one has drawn the full consequences of identifying them. The chapter concludes that there are no grounds for distinguishing between an “edition” prepared for Valerianus in 401 and a mere copy sent to Protadius in 396. The only difference between Valerianus's Livy and Protadius's Livy is that Valerianus had asked for more—all 142 books as against a mere 6. Naturally, it took correspondingly longer to correct, 164 whence the delays for which Symmachus apologized. But neither was anything more than a copy made from Symmachus's personal exemplar and duly corrected against that exemplar.Less
The most famous of all Latin subscriptions are those that, in various forms and combinations, close each of the first nine books of Livy in a number of manuscripts. This chapter considers two incomplete Symmachan attempts to produce a corrected Livy. No one has ever attempted to distinguish the copy made for Valerianus from the copy attested by the subscriptions. Yet at the same time no one has drawn the full consequences of identifying them. The chapter concludes that there are no grounds for distinguishing between an “edition” prepared for Valerianus in 401 and a mere copy sent to Protadius in 396. The only difference between Valerianus's Livy and Protadius's Livy is that Valerianus had asked for more—all 142 books as against a mere 6. Naturally, it took correspondingly longer to correct, 164 whence the delays for which Symmachus apologized. But neither was anything more than a copy made from Symmachus's personal exemplar and duly corrected against that exemplar.
Eric M. Orlin
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199731558
- eISBN:
- 9780199866342
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199731558.003.0000
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, World History: BCE to 500CE
The introduction provides an overview of the historical context for the study and lays out the general theoretical framework within which the argument is made. It provides an overview of discussions ...
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The introduction provides an overview of the historical context for the study and lays out the general theoretical framework within which the argument is made. It provides an overview of discussions on ethnicity and identity drawn from the social sciences (anthropology, sociology, political science) relevant to the study. It also discusses the problems of defining foreign cults in Rome, as well as the problems of the source material, especially the historian Livy, that are used in studying Roman religion.Less
The introduction provides an overview of the historical context for the study and lays out the general theoretical framework within which the argument is made. It provides an overview of discussions on ethnicity and identity drawn from the social sciences (anthropology, sociology, political science) relevant to the study. It also discusses the problems of defining foreign cults in Rome, as well as the problems of the source material, especially the historian Livy, that are used in studying Roman religion.
Mark Jurdjevic
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199204489
- eISBN:
- 9780191708084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199204489.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
Chapter Three analyses the Valori family's friendship with Niccolò Machiavelli. It considers Niccolò Valori's political support of Machiavelli, their common fortunes following the restoration of the ...
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Chapter Three analyses the Valori family's friendship with Niccolò Machiavelli. It considers Niccolò Valori's political support of Machiavelli, their common fortunes following the restoration of the Medici and how those connections became reflected in Machiavelli's historical writings. It looks at a discrepancy between passages in Machiavelli's Discorsi and a small work entitled Nature di huomini fiorentini. In the former, Machiavelli interpreted Francesco, owing to his influential combination of ambition and power, as a potential problem for republican politics, an instigator of controversial policies and a lightning‐rod around which tension and conflict was naturally attracted; in the latter, written during a period of heightened Medici power, Machiavelli interpreted Francesco as a republican patriot who subordinated his private interests to uphold the common good of the republic at all times. The chapter argues that Machiavelli was attempting to downplay his ties to the Valori family and the republican associations that alliance implied.Less
Chapter Three analyses the Valori family's friendship with Niccolò Machiavelli. It considers Niccolò Valori's political support of Machiavelli, their common fortunes following the restoration of the Medici and how those connections became reflected in Machiavelli's historical writings. It looks at a discrepancy between passages in Machiavelli's Discorsi and a small work entitled Nature di huomini fiorentini. In the former, Machiavelli interpreted Francesco, owing to his influential combination of ambition and power, as a potential problem for republican politics, an instigator of controversial policies and a lightning‐rod around which tension and conflict was naturally attracted; in the latter, written during a period of heightened Medici power, Machiavelli interpreted Francesco as a republican patriot who subordinated his private interests to uphold the common good of the republic at all times. The chapter argues that Machiavelli was attempting to downplay his ties to the Valori family and the republican associations that alliance implied.
Matthew Fox
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199211920
- eISBN:
- 9780191705854
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199211920.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter integrates the readings of earlier chapters to consider the place of Cicero's ironic treatment of historical representation in the light of mainstream Latin historiography. First, the ...
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This chapter integrates the readings of earlier chapters to consider the place of Cicero's ironic treatment of historical representation in the light of mainstream Latin historiography. First, the question of how far the past can actually be known is explored from treading texts that illustrate both historiographical and philosophical approaches. For Cicero, history is predominantly a form of representation. Cicero's Letter to Lucceius is explored, in which he asks shamelessly for his own historical glorification. The letter is taken as further evidence for Cicero's ironic approach to the past, and to his own relationship to it. A brief discussion of Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus follows, and the chapter concludes that all these writers shared an awareness of the literary and educational potential of presenting conflicting accounts of Rome's past.Less
This chapter integrates the readings of earlier chapters to consider the place of Cicero's ironic treatment of historical representation in the light of mainstream Latin historiography. First, the question of how far the past can actually be known is explored from treading texts that illustrate both historiographical and philosophical approaches. For Cicero, history is predominantly a form of representation. Cicero's Letter to Lucceius is explored, in which he asks shamelessly for his own historical glorification. The letter is taken as further evidence for Cicero's ironic approach to the past, and to his own relationship to it. A brief discussion of Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus follows, and the chapter concludes that all these writers shared an awareness of the literary and educational potential of presenting conflicting accounts of Rome's past.
R. G. Mayer
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263327
- eISBN:
- 9780191734168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263327.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Prose and Writers: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter provides a discussion that aims to offer some account of the impracticability of Latin ‘Kunstprosa’. It begins by presenting the quandary of Vitruvius. Vitruvius showed a thorough ...
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This chapter provides a discussion that aims to offer some account of the impracticability of Latin ‘Kunstprosa’. It begins by presenting the quandary of Vitruvius. Vitruvius showed a thorough competence; his intellectual predecessors in the later Republic had provided a lesson in the logical grouping of topics, a lesson he learnt. Vitruvius’ quandary can be explained by the failure of Latin prose to provide the educated writer with workable models of sound prose style. The chapter then inspects the masters themselves, Cicero and Caesar. The period in Cicero’s oratorical prose is deemed to be generally above reproach, once allowance is made for his increasing assurance. The issue of anacoluthon in Cicero’s philosophical writings was considerably discussed at the time this essay was delivered, and in subsequent e-mail exchanges with Jaap Wisse. The chapter then turns to Cicero’s only real successor, Livy. Moreover, the origin and use of the period in formal Latin style are described.Less
This chapter provides a discussion that aims to offer some account of the impracticability of Latin ‘Kunstprosa’. It begins by presenting the quandary of Vitruvius. Vitruvius showed a thorough competence; his intellectual predecessors in the later Republic had provided a lesson in the logical grouping of topics, a lesson he learnt. Vitruvius’ quandary can be explained by the failure of Latin prose to provide the educated writer with workable models of sound prose style. The chapter then inspects the masters themselves, Cicero and Caesar. The period in Cicero’s oratorical prose is deemed to be generally above reproach, once allowance is made for his increasing assurance. The issue of anacoluthon in Cicero’s philosophical writings was considerably discussed at the time this essay was delivered, and in subsequent e-mail exchanges with Jaap Wisse. The chapter then turns to Cicero’s only real successor, Livy. Moreover, the origin and use of the period in formal Latin style are described.
Michèle Lowrie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195389579
- eISBN:
- 9780199866496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195389579.003.0011
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter analyzes an episode of civil disturbance in early Roman history—Spurius Maelius' attempt to seize royal power as told in Livy—according to Giorgio Agamben's theory of sovereignty. ...
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This chapter analyzes an episode of civil disturbance in early Roman history—Spurius Maelius' attempt to seize royal power as told in Livy—according to Giorgio Agamben's theory of sovereignty. (Agamben revives a Roman category, the homo sacer, in his discussion of sovereignty's power over the lives of citizens.) The chapter measures Maelius against ancient and modern definitions of the homo sacer and argues that Livy's Maelius story tells us more about the Augustan period's understanding of the relation between sovereignty and citizen life than about early Rome.Less
This chapter analyzes an episode of civil disturbance in early Roman history—Spurius Maelius' attempt to seize royal power as told in Livy—according to Giorgio Agamben's theory of sovereignty. (Agamben revives a Roman category, the homo sacer, in his discussion of sovereignty's power over the lives of citizens.) The chapter measures Maelius against ancient and modern definitions of the homo sacer and argues that Livy's Maelius story tells us more about the Augustan period's understanding of the relation between sovereignty and citizen life than about early Rome.
Jonathan Williams
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199600755
- eISBN:
- 9780191738791
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199600755.003.0016
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
One particular passage of Polybius (9.10) has come to play a recurring role in contemporary legal literature and public debate on the law and practice of cultural property protection in time of war. ...
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One particular passage of Polybius (9.10) has come to play a recurring role in contemporary legal literature and public debate on the law and practice of cultural property protection in time of war. This chapter asks whether Polybius has been appropriately cited as an early voice arguing for the protection of ‘art’ and ‘cultural property’ in time of war. More broadly, it looks at some of the similarities and divergences between analogous debates on the issues of spoliation and repatriation in antiquity and the present and, in common with other recent commentators, concludes that religion, not culture, was the dominant theme in antiquity.Less
One particular passage of Polybius (9.10) has come to play a recurring role in contemporary legal literature and public debate on the law and practice of cultural property protection in time of war. This chapter asks whether Polybius has been appropriately cited as an early voice arguing for the protection of ‘art’ and ‘cultural property’ in time of war. More broadly, it looks at some of the similarities and divergences between analogous debates on the issues of spoliation and repatriation in antiquity and the present and, in common with other recent commentators, concludes that religion, not culture, was the dominant theme in antiquity.
F. Rosen
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198200789
- eISBN:
- 9780191674778
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198200789.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Ideas
Edward Blaquiere, impetuous and often impecunious Irishman of Huguenot descent, English naval officer during the Napoleonic wars, and early apostle of liberalism, had numerous intellectual heroes, ...
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Edward Blaquiere, impetuous and often impecunious Irishman of Huguenot descent, English naval officer during the Napoleonic wars, and early apostle of liberalism, had numerous intellectual heroes, but two were especially memorable: Niccolo Machiavelli and Jeremy Bentham. He admired the Discourses on Livy and regretted that so few read this work instead of the Prince. For the regeneration of Italy in the early 19th century, Blaquiere believed that the task would be difficult but could be eased somewhat not only by the study of Machiavelli's Discourses but also by a ‘proper application of Mr. Bentham's principle of utility’, both of which ‘would shew the people of Italy that sound morals are the indispensable companions of good government’. Nevertheless, the joining of Machiavelli and Bentham reveals a good deal about Blaquiere, especially that conjunction of ruthlessness and political idealism which characterised his approach to politics.Less
Edward Blaquiere, impetuous and often impecunious Irishman of Huguenot descent, English naval officer during the Napoleonic wars, and early apostle of liberalism, had numerous intellectual heroes, but two were especially memorable: Niccolo Machiavelli and Jeremy Bentham. He admired the Discourses on Livy and regretted that so few read this work instead of the Prince. For the regeneration of Italy in the early 19th century, Blaquiere believed that the task would be difficult but could be eased somewhat not only by the study of Machiavelli's Discourses but also by a ‘proper application of Mr. Bentham's principle of utility’, both of which ‘would shew the people of Italy that sound morals are the indispensable companions of good government’. Nevertheless, the joining of Machiavelli and Bentham reveals a good deal about Blaquiere, especially that conjunction of ruthlessness and political idealism which characterised his approach to politics.
Luciano Canfora and Julian Stringer (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748619368
- eISBN:
- 9780748670734
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748619368.003.0042
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
A fragment of Livy, most probably from book 116 (a ‘definitive’ portrait of Caesar following the account of his death), raised a question mark over Caesar's entire career. By citing it Seneca ...
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A fragment of Livy, most probably from book 116 (a ‘definitive’ portrait of Caesar following the account of his death), raised a question mark over Caesar's entire career. By citing it Seneca introduced a new angle, which has its own profound poetry — an analogy with the wind: ‘As things are, however, it could be said of winds what was commonly said of Julius Caesar, as reported by Titus Livy; it is uncertain whether it was better for the state that Caesar had been born or not’. It would be wrong to read this as a hostile judgement on Caesar. Rather it stems from a state of profound perplexity: because nobody would categorically ‘condemn’ the wind, although everybody knows what destruction it can wreak.Less
A fragment of Livy, most probably from book 116 (a ‘definitive’ portrait of Caesar following the account of his death), raised a question mark over Caesar's entire career. By citing it Seneca introduced a new angle, which has its own profound poetry — an analogy with the wind: ‘As things are, however, it could be said of winds what was commonly said of Julius Caesar, as reported by Titus Livy; it is uncertain whether it was better for the state that Caesar had been born or not’. It would be wrong to read this as a hostile judgement on Caesar. Rather it stems from a state of profound perplexity: because nobody would categorically ‘condemn’ the wind, although everybody knows what destruction it can wreak.
Kristina Milnor
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199235728
- eISBN:
- 9780191712883
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199235728.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
The age of Augustus has long been recognised as a time when the Roman state put a new emphasis on ‘traditional’ feminine domestic ideals, yet at the same time gave real public prominence to certain ...
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The age of Augustus has long been recognised as a time when the Roman state put a new emphasis on ‘traditional’ feminine domestic ideals, yet at the same time gave real public prominence to certain women in their roles as wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters. This book takes up a series of texts and their contexts in order to explore this paradox. Through an examination of authors such as Vitruvius, Livy, Valerius Maximus, Seneca the Elder, and L. Junius Moderatus Columella, the book argues that female domesticity was both a principle and a problem for early imperial writers, as they sought to construct a new definition of who and what constituted public life in the early Roman empire.Less
The age of Augustus has long been recognised as a time when the Roman state put a new emphasis on ‘traditional’ feminine domestic ideals, yet at the same time gave real public prominence to certain women in their roles as wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters. This book takes up a series of texts and their contexts in order to explore this paradox. Through an examination of authors such as Vitruvius, Livy, Valerius Maximus, Seneca the Elder, and L. Junius Moderatus Columella, the book argues that female domesticity was both a principle and a problem for early imperial writers, as they sought to construct a new definition of who and what constituted public life in the early Roman empire.
MATTHEW LEIGH
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199266760
- eISBN:
- 9780191708916
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199266760.003.03
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter combines a close reading of the text entitled Captivi, with consideration of the attitude of the Roman ruling class to those members of its armed forces who exposed themselves to ...
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This chapter combines a close reading of the text entitled Captivi, with consideration of the attitude of the Roman ruling class to those members of its armed forces who exposed themselves to enslavement by becoming prisoners of war to an enemy power. In particular, it investigates the response to Roman prisoners who tried to extricate themselves from this situation by means not unlike those adopted by the heroes of the Captivi. It examines the means by which society might validate the recovery of status lost in time of war. Its provisions not just for a returning prisoner to re-establish himself as a free citizen but also for a recovered slave to revert to the power of his master make the law of postliminium a promising area of investigation.Less
This chapter combines a close reading of the text entitled Captivi, with consideration of the attitude of the Roman ruling class to those members of its armed forces who exposed themselves to enslavement by becoming prisoners of war to an enemy power. In particular, it investigates the response to Roman prisoners who tried to extricate themselves from this situation by means not unlike those adopted by the heroes of the Captivi. It examines the means by which society might validate the recovery of status lost in time of war. Its provisions not just for a returning prisoner to re-establish himself as a free citizen but also for a recovered slave to revert to the power of his master make the law of postliminium a promising area of investigation.
Catalina Balmaceda
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781469635125
- eISBN:
- 9781469635132
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469635125.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
The political transformation that took place at the end of the Roman Republic was a particularly rich area for historical analysis. The crisis that saw the end of the Roman Republic and the changes ...
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The political transformation that took place at the end of the Roman Republic was a particularly rich area for historical analysis. The crisis that saw the end of the Roman Republic and the changes which gave birth to a new political system were narrated by major Roman historians who took the Roman idea of virtus as a way of interpreting and understanding their history.
Tracing how virtus informed Roman thought over time, the book explores the concept and its manifestations in the narratives of four successive Latin historians who span the late republic and early principate: Sallust, Livy, Velleius, and Tacitus. Balmaceda demonstrates that the concept of virtus in these historical narratives served as a form of self-definition which fostered and propagated a new model of the ideal Roman more fitting to imperial times. As a crucial moral and political concept, virtus worked as a key idea in the complex system of Roman socio-cultural values and norms which underpinned Roman attitudes about both present and past. This book offers a re-appraisal of the historians as promoters of change and continuity in the political culture of both the Republic and the Empire.Less
The political transformation that took place at the end of the Roman Republic was a particularly rich area for historical analysis. The crisis that saw the end of the Roman Republic and the changes which gave birth to a new political system were narrated by major Roman historians who took the Roman idea of virtus as a way of interpreting and understanding their history.
Tracing how virtus informed Roman thought over time, the book explores the concept and its manifestations in the narratives of four successive Latin historians who span the late republic and early principate: Sallust, Livy, Velleius, and Tacitus. Balmaceda demonstrates that the concept of virtus in these historical narratives served as a form of self-definition which fostered and propagated a new model of the ideal Roman more fitting to imperial times. As a crucial moral and political concept, virtus worked as a key idea in the complex system of Roman socio-cultural values and norms which underpinned Roman attitudes about both present and past. This book offers a re-appraisal of the historians as promoters of change and continuity in the political culture of both the Republic and the Empire.
Leofranc Holford-Strevens
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199263196
- eISBN:
- 9780191718878
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263196.003.0014
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Prose and Writers: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter finds Antonine Latin culture uninterested in serious history, preferring piquant or improving anecdotes. Gellius follows suit, but has a love of facts; an interest in historiography is ...
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This chapter finds Antonine Latin culture uninterested in serious history, preferring piquant or improving anecdotes. Gellius follows suit, but has a love of facts; an interest in historiography is harder to substantiate. He knows certain passages of Herodotus, who was in fashion, and once quotes Thucydides; amongst Roman historians the most frequently cited is Claudius Quadrigarius, followed by Cato the Elder and Sallust. The basis of valuation is style; in accordance with Antonine taste, neither Livy nor any subsequent historian is ever mentioned. Gellius takes an interest in chronology, presenting a list of Graeco-Roman synchronisms down to the Second Punic War. Writing apolitically about politics, he admires great men for their words and deeds, but has no concern for their principles.Less
This chapter finds Antonine Latin culture uninterested in serious history, preferring piquant or improving anecdotes. Gellius follows suit, but has a love of facts; an interest in historiography is harder to substantiate. He knows certain passages of Herodotus, who was in fashion, and once quotes Thucydides; amongst Roman historians the most frequently cited is Claudius Quadrigarius, followed by Cato the Elder and Sallust. The basis of valuation is style; in accordance with Antonine taste, neither Livy nor any subsequent historian is ever mentioned. Gellius takes an interest in chronology, presenting a list of Graeco-Roman synchronisms down to the Second Punic War. Writing apolitically about politics, he admires great men for their words and deeds, but has no concern for their principles.
KRISTINA MILNOR
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199235728
- eISBN:
- 9780191712883
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199235728.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter discusses the ways in which law and the history of law became important in Augustan ideology as a means of situating women within the public/private dichotomy. For the first time in ...
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This chapter discusses the ways in which law and the history of law became important in Augustan ideology as a means of situating women within the public/private dichotomy. For the first time in Roman history, the programme of social legislation initiated by Augustus in the early Roman empire made adultery a criminal offence and offered rewards to those who married and produced children. This chapter also examines the historian Livy's reconstruction of the debate over the repeal of the lex Oppia in which the historian seizes the opportunity to present opposing views of the ‘place’ of law within Roman society. Thus, this chapter both explores the state's direct intervention in the construction of domestic life and one representational response to the contemporary cultural debate about female behaviour and public life.Less
This chapter discusses the ways in which law and the history of law became important in Augustan ideology as a means of situating women within the public/private dichotomy. For the first time in Roman history, the programme of social legislation initiated by Augustus in the early Roman empire made adultery a criminal offence and offered rewards to those who married and produced children. This chapter also examines the historian Livy's reconstruction of the debate over the repeal of the lex Oppia in which the historian seizes the opportunity to present opposing views of the ‘place’ of law within Roman society. Thus, this chapter both explores the state's direct intervention in the construction of domestic life and one representational response to the contemporary cultural debate about female behaviour and public life.
Vickie B. Sullivan
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781501747847
- eISBN:
- 9781501747861
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501747847.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter argues that Niccolò Machiavelli finds that Christianity exerts a type of tyrannical rule over human beings, one that deprives them of their honor, dignity, and power. It is this ...
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This chapter argues that Niccolò Machiavelli finds that Christianity exerts a type of tyrannical rule over human beings, one that deprives them of their honor, dignity, and power. It is this domination from which Machiavelli endeavors to liberate them. Despite his early and forthright repudiation of the Christian understanding of history in the name of the imitation of pagan politics, Machiavelli infuses his additional explicit criticisms of the religion in the Discourses on Livy with a measure of ambiguity. Both when he offers his most stinging condemnation of the Church's role as spoiler in Italian politics and when he censures Christianity as such, he tempers his criticism by appealing from the Christianity of the vilely corrupt prelates to a purer version of the religion. The chapter examines these statements as well as additional discussions in which Christianity is less explicitly the subject.Less
This chapter argues that Niccolò Machiavelli finds that Christianity exerts a type of tyrannical rule over human beings, one that deprives them of their honor, dignity, and power. It is this domination from which Machiavelli endeavors to liberate them. Despite his early and forthright repudiation of the Christian understanding of history in the name of the imitation of pagan politics, Machiavelli infuses his additional explicit criticisms of the religion in the Discourses on Livy with a measure of ambiguity. Both when he offers his most stinging condemnation of the Church's role as spoiler in Italian politics and when he censures Christianity as such, he tempers his criticism by appealing from the Christianity of the vilely corrupt prelates to a purer version of the religion. The chapter examines these statements as well as additional discussions in which Christianity is less explicitly the subject.
