Emma Dench
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198150510
- eISBN:
- 9780191710018
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198150510.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
Modern treatments of Rome have projected in highly emotive terms the perceived problems or the aspirations of the present: ‘race-mixture’ has been blamed for the collapse of the Roman empire. More ...
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Modern treatments of Rome have projected in highly emotive terms the perceived problems or the aspirations of the present: ‘race-mixture’ has been blamed for the collapse of the Roman empire. More recently, Rome and Roman society have been depicted as ‘multicultural’. Moving beyond these and beyond more traditional, juridical approaches to Roman identity, this book focuses on ancient modes of thinking about selves and relationships with other peoples, including descent-myths, history, and ethnographies. It explores the relative importance of sometimes closely interconnected categories of blood descent, language, culture and clothes, and territoriality. Rome's creation of a distinctive imperial shape is understood in the context of the broader ancient Mediterranean world within which the Romans self-consciously situated themselves, and whose modes of thought they appropriated and transformed.Less
Modern treatments of Rome have projected in highly emotive terms the perceived problems or the aspirations of the present: ‘race-mixture’ has been blamed for the collapse of the Roman empire. More recently, Rome and Roman society have been depicted as ‘multicultural’. Moving beyond these and beyond more traditional, juridical approaches to Roman identity, this book focuses on ancient modes of thinking about selves and relationships with other peoples, including descent-myths, history, and ethnographies. It explores the relative importance of sometimes closely interconnected categories of blood descent, language, culture and clothes, and territoriality. Rome's creation of a distinctive imperial shape is understood in the context of the broader ancient Mediterranean world within which the Romans self-consciously situated themselves, and whose modes of thought they appropriated and transformed.
David J. Mattingly
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691160177
- eISBN:
- 9781400848270
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691160177.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
Despite what history has taught us about imperialism's destructive effects on colonial societies, many classicists continue to emphasize disproportionately the civilizing and assimilative nature of ...
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Despite what history has taught us about imperialism's destructive effects on colonial societies, many classicists continue to emphasize disproportionately the civilizing and assimilative nature of the Roman Empire and to hold a generally favorable view of Rome's impact on its subject peoples. This book boldly challenges this view using insights from postcolonial studies of modern empires to offer a more nuanced understanding of Roman imperialism. Rejecting outdated notions about Romanization, the book focuses instead on the concept of identity to reveal a Roman society made up of far-flung populations whose experience of empire varied enormously. It examines the nature of power in Rome and the means by which the Roman state exploited the natural, mercantile, and human resources within its frontiers. The book draws on the author's own archaeological work in Britain, Jordan, and North Africa and covers a broad range of topics, including sexual relations and violence; census-taking and taxation; mining and pollution; land and labor; and art and iconography. The book shows how the lives of those under Rome's dominion were challenged, enhanced, or destroyed by the empire's power, and in doing so he redefines the meaning and significance of Rome in today's debates about globalization, power, and empire. This book advances a new agenda for classical studies, one that views Roman rule from the perspective of the ruled and not just the rulers. A new preface reflects on some of the reactions prompted by the initial publication of the book.Less
Despite what history has taught us about imperialism's destructive effects on colonial societies, many classicists continue to emphasize disproportionately the civilizing and assimilative nature of the Roman Empire and to hold a generally favorable view of Rome's impact on its subject peoples. This book boldly challenges this view using insights from postcolonial studies of modern empires to offer a more nuanced understanding of Roman imperialism. Rejecting outdated notions about Romanization, the book focuses instead on the concept of identity to reveal a Roman society made up of far-flung populations whose experience of empire varied enormously. It examines the nature of power in Rome and the means by which the Roman state exploited the natural, mercantile, and human resources within its frontiers. The book draws on the author's own archaeological work in Britain, Jordan, and North Africa and covers a broad range of topics, including sexual relations and violence; census-taking and taxation; mining and pollution; land and labor; and art and iconography. The book shows how the lives of those under Rome's dominion were challenged, enhanced, or destroyed by the empire's power, and in doing so he redefines the meaning and significance of Rome in today's debates about globalization, power, and empire. This book advances a new agenda for classical studies, one that views Roman rule from the perspective of the ruled and not just the rulers. A new preface reflects on some of the reactions prompted by the initial publication of the book.
Catherine Hezser
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199280865
- eISBN:
- 9780191712852
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280865.003.0019
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This book investigates ancient Jewish slavery in the context of slavery in Graeco-Roman society to determine whether and in what regard Jews differed from Romans and early Christians in their ...
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This book investigates ancient Jewish slavery in the context of slavery in Graeco-Roman society to determine whether and in what regard Jews differed from Romans and early Christians in their discourse about and practice of slavery. The book examines whether ancient Jewish literary sources reveal different attitudes towards slaves and indicate a different treatment of slaves from Graeco-Roman sources. As pointed out at the outset, the socioeconomic conditions in which slavery develops tend to be similar in many societies, whereas the specific configuration of slavery varies from one society to the next. Slavery was an important aspect of the everyday life of Jews in both the land of Israel and the Diaspora in Hellenistic and Roman times: Jews owned slaves and Jews were employed as slaves by Jewish and non-Jewish owners.Less
This book investigates ancient Jewish slavery in the context of slavery in Graeco-Roman society to determine whether and in what regard Jews differed from Romans and early Christians in their discourse about and practice of slavery. The book examines whether ancient Jewish literary sources reveal different attitudes towards slaves and indicate a different treatment of slaves from Graeco-Roman sources. As pointed out at the outset, the socioeconomic conditions in which slavery develops tend to be similar in many societies, whereas the specific configuration of slavery varies from one society to the next. Slavery was an important aspect of the everyday life of Jews in both the land of Israel and the Diaspora in Hellenistic and Roman times: Jews owned slaves and Jews were employed as slaves by Jewish and non-Jewish owners.
Catherine Hezser
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199280865
- eISBN:
- 9780191712852
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280865.003.0011
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
The main source of slaves in antiquity was the enslavement of war captives, which accompanied conquest of foreign territories in the course of imperialist policies. Other forms of enslavement such as ...
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The main source of slaves in antiquity was the enslavement of war captives, which accompanied conquest of foreign territories in the course of imperialist policies. Other forms of enslavement such as natural reproduction, debt slavery, child exposure and sale, and the theft of human beings seem to have been less common and dependent on particular socioeconomic conditions and behavioural patterns. They will have gained in significance in late antiquity, however, when new war captives became scarce. Slaves would be sold at slave markets but also on other occasions, on the basis of mutual sales agreements between owners. Since the category of the slave was markedly distinct from that of the free person in both Jewish and Roman society, the transition from one mode to the other was legally regulated, so that particular forms of enslavement were prohibited and others allowed. However, it is not clear whether and to what extent these legal limitations were actually followed by the populace.Less
The main source of slaves in antiquity was the enslavement of war captives, which accompanied conquest of foreign territories in the course of imperialist policies. Other forms of enslavement such as natural reproduction, debt slavery, child exposure and sale, and the theft of human beings seem to have been less common and dependent on particular socioeconomic conditions and behavioural patterns. They will have gained in significance in late antiquity, however, when new war captives became scarce. Slaves would be sold at slave markets but also on other occasions, on the basis of mutual sales agreements between owners. Since the category of the slave was markedly distinct from that of the free person in both Jewish and Roman society, the transition from one mode to the other was legally regulated, so that particular forms of enslavement were prohibited and others allowed. However, it is not clear whether and to what extent these legal limitations were actually followed by the populace.
Barbara Ann Naddeo
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801449161
- eISBN:
- 9780801460876
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801449161.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This chapter considers both the legal aspirations and jurisprudential works of Vico, and reconstructs his first full-blown account of Roman law and society in light of the jurisprudential tastes of ...
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This chapter considers both the legal aspirations and jurisprudential works of Vico, and reconstructs his first full-blown account of Roman law and society in light of the jurisprudential tastes of his target audience, the leading members of the Neapolitan judiciary. It begins with an ample reconstruction of Vico's life and work between the publication of his last inaugural address, the De ratione (1709), and the drafting of his legal treatise known as the Diritto universal. It then identifies Vico's motivations for undertaking a legal treatise, and reconstructs the publication history and reception of both De uno (1720) and De Constantia (1721). The third section of this chapter reconstructs Vico's unique history of Rome, which made novel claims about the origins and laws of development characteristic of cities and, by analogy, world polities.Less
This chapter considers both the legal aspirations and jurisprudential works of Vico, and reconstructs his first full-blown account of Roman law and society in light of the jurisprudential tastes of his target audience, the leading members of the Neapolitan judiciary. It begins with an ample reconstruction of Vico's life and work between the publication of his last inaugural address, the De ratione (1709), and the drafting of his legal treatise known as the Diritto universal. It then identifies Vico's motivations for undertaking a legal treatise, and reconstructs the publication history and reception of both De uno (1720) and De Constantia (1721). The third section of this chapter reconstructs Vico's unique history of Rome, which made novel claims about the origins and laws of development characteristic of cities and, by analogy, world polities.
Catherine Hezser
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199280865
- eISBN:
- 9780191712852
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280865.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
Distinctions between slaves and free persons were far from clear-cut as far as status, work, and lifestyle were concerned. In their dependence on the householder, women and minors often resembled ...
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Distinctions between slaves and free persons were far from clear-cut as far as status, work, and lifestyle were concerned. In their dependence on the householder, women and minors often resembled slaves; many slaves worked alongside free persons or were even better educated, clothed, and nourished than the free. In antiquity, everyone had to reckon with the possibility that he or she could become enslaved, but slaves could also hope to obtain freedom. In ancient society, some people seem to have stood on the border between slavery and freedom, being part of both worlds but not properly belonging to either of them. This was the case with half-slaves, who worked for themselves as well as for their masters, and with freed slaves, whose former enslavement had left a lasting mark and who had to fulfil certain obligations towards their former master, at least as far as Roman society is concerned.Less
Distinctions between slaves and free persons were far from clear-cut as far as status, work, and lifestyle were concerned. In their dependence on the householder, women and minors often resembled slaves; many slaves worked alongside free persons or were even better educated, clothed, and nourished than the free. In antiquity, everyone had to reckon with the possibility that he or she could become enslaved, but slaves could also hope to obtain freedom. In ancient society, some people seem to have stood on the border between slavery and freedom, being part of both worlds but not properly belonging to either of them. This was the case with half-slaves, who worked for themselves as well as for their masters, and with freed slaves, whose former enslavement had left a lasting mark and who had to fulfil certain obligations towards their former master, at least as far as Roman society is concerned.
Paul J. du Plessis (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780748668175
- eISBN:
- 9780748684328
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748668175.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History
Roman law as a field of study is rapidly evolving to reflect new perspectives and approaches in research. Scholars who work on the subject are increasingly being asked to conduct research in an ...
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Roman law as a field of study is rapidly evolving to reflect new perspectives and approaches in research. Scholars who work on the subject are increasingly being asked to conduct research in an interdisciplinary manner whereby Roman law is not merely seen as a set of abstract concepts devoid of any background, but as a body of law which operated in a specific social, economic and cultural context. Since the mid-1960s, a new academic movement has advocated a “law and society” approach to the study of Roman law instead of the prevailing dogmatic methodology. This “context-based” approach to the study of law and society in the Roman world is an exciting new field which legal historians must address and which is largely unexplored. This interdisciplinary collection focuses on three larger themes which have emerged from these studies: Roman legal thought, the interaction between legal theory and legal practice and the relationship between law and economics.Less
Roman law as a field of study is rapidly evolving to reflect new perspectives and approaches in research. Scholars who work on the subject are increasingly being asked to conduct research in an interdisciplinary manner whereby Roman law is not merely seen as a set of abstract concepts devoid of any background, but as a body of law which operated in a specific social, economic and cultural context. Since the mid-1960s, a new academic movement has advocated a “law and society” approach to the study of Roman law instead of the prevailing dogmatic methodology. This “context-based” approach to the study of law and society in the Roman world is an exciting new field which legal historians must address and which is largely unexplored. This interdisciplinary collection focuses on three larger themes which have emerged from these studies: Roman legal thought, the interaction between legal theory and legal practice and the relationship between law and economics.
CLAUDE EILERS
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199248483
- eISBN:
- 9780191714641
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248483.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
The question of what patrons did for their client cities is an important one. It is complicated, however, by the fact that patronage was never a monolithic phenomenon, and because the institution ...
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The question of what patrons did for their client cities is an important one. It is complicated, however, by the fact that patronage was never a monolithic phenomenon, and because the institution itself underwent important changes, as did Roman society as a whole in its transition from republic to empire. This chapter considers several texts that illustrate the services which patrons and clients could perform for each other, beginning with several from the Republic and then moving on to the Empire.Less
The question of what patrons did for their client cities is an important one. It is complicated, however, by the fact that patronage was never a monolithic phenomenon, and because the institution itself underwent important changes, as did Roman society as a whole in its transition from republic to empire. This chapter considers several texts that illustrate the services which patrons and clients could perform for each other, beginning with several from the Republic and then moving on to the Empire.
Catherine Hezser
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199280865
- eISBN:
- 9780191712852
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280865.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This book is an historical-critical study of Jewish slavery in antiquity, comparing the Jewish discourse on slavery with Graeco-Roman and Christian attitudes, and the first comprehensive analysis of ...
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This book is an historical-critical study of Jewish slavery in antiquity, comparing the Jewish discourse on slavery with Graeco-Roman and Christian attitudes, and the first comprehensive analysis of Jewish attitudes towards slavery in Hellenistic and Roman times. It subverts many traditional views of Jews and slavery in antiquity; for example, showing against the traditional opinion that after the Babylonian Exile Jews refrained from employing slaves, that slavery remained a significant phenomenon of ancient Jewish everyday life, and generated a discourse which resembled Graeco-Roman and early Christian views while at the same time preserving specifically Jewish nuances. It examines the impact of domestic slavery on the ancient Jewish household and on family relationships, discusses the perceived advantages of slaves over other types of labor, and evaluates their role within the ancient Jewish economy. The ancient Jewish experience of slavery seems to have been so pervasive that slave images also entered theological discourse. Like their Graeco-Roman and Christian counterparts, ancient Jewish intellectuals did not advocate the abolition of slavery, but they used the biblical tradition and their own judgements to ameliorate the status quo.Less
This book is an historical-critical study of Jewish slavery in antiquity, comparing the Jewish discourse on slavery with Graeco-Roman and Christian attitudes, and the first comprehensive analysis of Jewish attitudes towards slavery in Hellenistic and Roman times. It subverts many traditional views of Jews and slavery in antiquity; for example, showing against the traditional opinion that after the Babylonian Exile Jews refrained from employing slaves, that slavery remained a significant phenomenon of ancient Jewish everyday life, and generated a discourse which resembled Graeco-Roman and early Christian views while at the same time preserving specifically Jewish nuances. It examines the impact of domestic slavery on the ancient Jewish household and on family relationships, discusses the perceived advantages of slaves over other types of labor, and evaluates their role within the ancient Jewish economy. The ancient Jewish experience of slavery seems to have been so pervasive that slave images also entered theological discourse. Like their Graeco-Roman and Christian counterparts, ancient Jewish intellectuals did not advocate the abolition of slavery, but they used the biblical tradition and their own judgements to ameliorate the status quo.
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226111872
- eISBN:
- 9780226111902
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226111902.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This book presents an argument that Vergil's Aeneid, Lucan's Civil War, and Statius' Thebaid represent complex and distinctive responses to the socioeconomic mores of each poet's day. The distinction ...
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This book presents an argument that Vergil's Aeneid, Lucan's Civil War, and Statius' Thebaid represent complex and distinctive responses to the socioeconomic mores of each poet's day. The distinction between reciprocal and commodity exchanges was basic to Roman society. In the Aeneid, Civil War, and Thebaid, commodity expressions for punishment resonate with other commodity language. The book also reviews the socioeconomic landscape of each poem, and then explores how the poets use economic language metaphorically to give insights into the thoughts and dispositions of their central characters. Additionally, it argues that the Aeneid shows Vergil longing for the late republican economic system; that Lucan voices skepticism of republican socioeconomic values and tentatively advocates the return to an earlier Roman order; and that Statius turns away from reflection upon a sociopolitical system to express concern for the perils of excessive individual desires.Less
This book presents an argument that Vergil's Aeneid, Lucan's Civil War, and Statius' Thebaid represent complex and distinctive responses to the socioeconomic mores of each poet's day. The distinction between reciprocal and commodity exchanges was basic to Roman society. In the Aeneid, Civil War, and Thebaid, commodity expressions for punishment resonate with other commodity language. The book also reviews the socioeconomic landscape of each poem, and then explores how the poets use economic language metaphorically to give insights into the thoughts and dispositions of their central characters. Additionally, it argues that the Aeneid shows Vergil longing for the late republican economic system; that Lucan voices skepticism of republican socioeconomic values and tentatively advocates the return to an earlier Roman order; and that Statius turns away from reflection upon a sociopolitical system to express concern for the perils of excessive individual desires.
Alex McAuley (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781474407847
- eISBN:
- 9781474430982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474407847.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, World History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter takes a closer look at Spartacus' engagement with Roman spectacle as a fighter and entertainer. Beyond the series' intense focus on sexuality and the problems of slavery, this chapter ...
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This chapter takes a closer look at Spartacus' engagement with Roman spectacle as a fighter and entertainer. Beyond the series' intense focus on sexuality and the problems of slavery, this chapter argues that the creators also emphasize the multimodal representation of the Roman culture of performance and spectacle in the arena. The new Spartacus series, the chapter claims, offers a complex image of Roman spectacle in terms of spatial materialities, spectacular aesthetics, and social realism: the amphitheater is conveyed as a microcosm of Roman society and the central point of reference for Roman “popular” culture in the sense of mass entertainment.Less
This chapter takes a closer look at Spartacus' engagement with Roman spectacle as a fighter and entertainer. Beyond the series' intense focus on sexuality and the problems of slavery, this chapter argues that the creators also emphasize the multimodal representation of the Roman culture of performance and spectacle in the arena. The new Spartacus series, the chapter claims, offers a complex image of Roman spectacle in terms of spatial materialities, spectacular aesthetics, and social realism: the amphitheater is conveyed as a microcosm of Roman society and the central point of reference for Roman “popular” culture in the sense of mass entertainment.
Adam M. Schor
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520268623
- eISBN:
- 9780520948617
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520268623.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This book seeks to comprehend the Christological dispute by investigating the social dynamics that fostered alliance and conflict, focusing on the dyophysites who assembled around Theodoret of ...
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This book seeks to comprehend the Christological dispute by investigating the social dynamics that fostered alliance and conflict, focusing on the dyophysites who assembled around Theodoret of Cyrrhus. It examines Theodoret's relational patterns, his network and its fall, and the patronage roles and relations during the fifth century. It also explores the social dynamics of Theodoret's Christology and his patronage relations across late Roman society.Less
This book seeks to comprehend the Christological dispute by investigating the social dynamics that fostered alliance and conflict, focusing on the dyophysites who assembled around Theodoret of Cyrrhus. It examines Theodoret's relational patterns, his network and its fall, and the patronage roles and relations during the fifth century. It also explores the social dynamics of Theodoret's Christology and his patronage relations across late Roman society.
Paul J. du Plessis
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780748668175
- eISBN:
- 9780748684328
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748668175.003.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History
This brief introduction places the volume in context and explains its rationale. It provides a brief survey of current literature on the subject of “law and society” in the Roman world and sets out ...
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This brief introduction places the volume in context and explains its rationale. It provides a brief survey of current literature on the subject of “law and society” in the Roman world and sets out the structure of the volume along with the main contributions provides by each of the authors in their chapters.Less
This brief introduction places the volume in context and explains its rationale. It provides a brief survey of current literature on the subject of “law and society” in the Roman world and sets out the structure of the volume along with the main contributions provides by each of the authors in their chapters.
Neil Coffee
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226111872
- eISBN:
- 9780226111902
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226111902.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Latin epics such as Virgil's Aeneid, Lucan's Civil War, and Statius' Thebaid addressed Roman aristocrats whose dealings in gifts, favors, and payments defined their conceptions of social order. This ...
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Latin epics such as Virgil's Aeneid, Lucan's Civil War, and Statius' Thebaid addressed Roman aristocrats whose dealings in gifts, favors, and payments defined their conceptions of social order. This book argues that these exchanges play a central yet overlooked role in epic depictions of Roman society. Tracing the collapse of an aristocratic worldview across all three poems, it highlights the distinction they draw between reciprocal gift giving among elites and the more problematic behaviors of buying and selling. In the Aeneid, customary gift and favor exchanges are undermined by characters who view human interaction as short-term and commodity-driven. The Civil War takes the next logical step, illuminating how Romans cope once commercial greed has supplanted traditional values. Concluding with the Thebaid, which focuses on the problems of excessive consumption rather than exchange, the book closes its case that these poems constitute far-reaching critiques of Roman society during its transition from republic to empire.Less
Latin epics such as Virgil's Aeneid, Lucan's Civil War, and Statius' Thebaid addressed Roman aristocrats whose dealings in gifts, favors, and payments defined their conceptions of social order. This book argues that these exchanges play a central yet overlooked role in epic depictions of Roman society. Tracing the collapse of an aristocratic worldview across all three poems, it highlights the distinction they draw between reciprocal gift giving among elites and the more problematic behaviors of buying and selling. In the Aeneid, customary gift and favor exchanges are undermined by characters who view human interaction as short-term and commodity-driven. The Civil War takes the next logical step, illuminating how Romans cope once commercial greed has supplanted traditional values. Concluding with the Thebaid, which focuses on the problems of excessive consumption rather than exchange, the book closes its case that these poems constitute far-reaching critiques of Roman society during its transition from republic to empire.
Clive Skidmore
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780859894777
- eISBN:
- 9781781380673
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9780859894777.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter discusses the use of historical examples for moral education in Rome. It shows that various forms of education by example had long been institutionalized into Roman society, which ...
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This chapter discusses the use of historical examples for moral education in Rome. It shows that various forms of education by example had long been institutionalized into Roman society, which testify to the important role of examples before the Hellenization of Roman society in the second century bc. Thus, in Rome as in Greece, men were trained from an early age to emulate concrete examples of abstract ideals embodied in the great men of past and present.Less
This chapter discusses the use of historical examples for moral education in Rome. It shows that various forms of education by example had long been institutionalized into Roman society, which testify to the important role of examples before the Hellenization of Roman society in the second century bc. Thus, in Rome as in Greece, men were trained from an early age to emulate concrete examples of abstract ideals embodied in the great men of past and present.
Aideen M. Hartney
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781904675426
- eISBN:
- 9781781380567
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9781904675426.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
From the ranks of the early Christian faithful emerged colourful personalities who seized the imagination and held the attention of the rest of their community. This they achieved either by their ...
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From the ranks of the early Christian faithful emerged colourful personalities who seized the imagination and held the attention of the rest of their community. This they achieved either by their readiness in times of persecution to die for their faith as martyrs or by their sometimes extravagant efforts to subsume their physical desires and needs to spiritual ends as ascetics. Their actions not only inspired contemporaries; they played a key role in the development of the Christian faith and the organisation of the Church. Intriguing in themselves because of their often extreme behaviour, they remain venerated figures in the Christian tradition. This book provides a short introduction to these remarkable figures and the thinking behind their actions. It places them in their historical and cultural context. Also, the book offers a portrait of the period and its impact on subsequent Roman society and on the Church.Less
From the ranks of the early Christian faithful emerged colourful personalities who seized the imagination and held the attention of the rest of their community. This they achieved either by their readiness in times of persecution to die for their faith as martyrs or by their sometimes extravagant efforts to subsume their physical desires and needs to spiritual ends as ascetics. Their actions not only inspired contemporaries; they played a key role in the development of the Christian faith and the organisation of the Church. Intriguing in themselves because of their often extreme behaviour, they remain venerated figures in the Christian tradition. This book provides a short introduction to these remarkable figures and the thinking behind their actions. It places them in their historical and cultural context. Also, the book offers a portrait of the period and its impact on subsequent Roman society and on the Church.
Steven H. Rutledge
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199573233
- eISBN:
- 9780191804441
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199573233.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter examines how the Roman social and historical record was remembered through a variety of cultural material in a manner that reinforced Roman values and ideology beyond those directly ...
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This chapter examines how the Roman social and historical record was remembered through a variety of cultural material in a manner that reinforced Roman values and ideology beyond those directly associated with military conquest and imperial hegemony. It focuses on three significant categories that encompassed and preserved historical memory: artefacts that dated to early in Rome's history that were reflective of Roman pietas; commemoratives that celebrated a variety of roles for women in Roman society and their place in it; and the Roman house, specifically, houses of men who had had a powerful influence in shaping Rome's history.Less
This chapter examines how the Roman social and historical record was remembered through a variety of cultural material in a manner that reinforced Roman values and ideology beyond those directly associated with military conquest and imperial hegemony. It focuses on three significant categories that encompassed and preserved historical memory: artefacts that dated to early in Rome's history that were reflective of Roman pietas; commemoratives that celebrated a variety of roles for women in Roman society and their place in it; and the Roman house, specifically, houses of men who had had a powerful influence in shaping Rome's history.
Andrew Wilson and Miko Flohr (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198748489
- eISBN:
- 9780191811104
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198748489.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This volume discusses the world of urban craftsmen and traders in the Roman Empire. The volume identifies four key aspects in the study of Roman manufacturing and trade, and the individual chapters ...
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This volume discusses the world of urban craftsmen and traders in the Roman Empire. The volume identifies four key aspects in the study of Roman manufacturing and trade, and the individual chapters discuss these from a variety of perspectives. First of all, the book highlights the importance of considering modern developments in scholarly thinking about the world of craftsmen and traders, and the ideological and historical factors that shaped the scholarly landscape, particularly from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. Secondly, it emphasizes the need to understand the economic strategies of craftsmen and traders at the micro-level, and the way they shaped decisions about what to trade or produce, and how to design the everyday work process. Thirdly, the chapters reflect the prominent role of social networks surrounding manufacturing and trade, both purely professional ones and social ones. These networks not only defined the social and economic lives of Roman urban craftsmen and traders, but also are essential for our understanding of the world of urban crafts and trade. Finally, the volume highlights the significance of space, and the importance of understanding the spatial contexts in which economic activities took place, and the distribution of these activities over the city.Less
This volume discusses the world of urban craftsmen and traders in the Roman Empire. The volume identifies four key aspects in the study of Roman manufacturing and trade, and the individual chapters discuss these from a variety of perspectives. First of all, the book highlights the importance of considering modern developments in scholarly thinking about the world of craftsmen and traders, and the ideological and historical factors that shaped the scholarly landscape, particularly from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. Secondly, it emphasizes the need to understand the economic strategies of craftsmen and traders at the micro-level, and the way they shaped decisions about what to trade or produce, and how to design the everyday work process. Thirdly, the chapters reflect the prominent role of social networks surrounding manufacturing and trade, both purely professional ones and social ones. These networks not only defined the social and economic lives of Roman urban craftsmen and traders, but also are essential for our understanding of the world of urban crafts and trade. Finally, the volume highlights the significance of space, and the importance of understanding the spatial contexts in which economic activities took place, and the distribution of these activities over the city.
Steven H. Rutledge
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199573233
- eISBN:
- 9780191804441
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199573233.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter examines how imperial domination by the ruling elite influenced the appearance of the city. The elite used cultural objects both to maintain and perpetuate their control over not merely ...
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This chapter examines how imperial domination by the ruling elite influenced the appearance of the city. The elite used cultural objects both to maintain and perpetuate their control over not merely Roman society, but other peoples as well. Such display was not just an additional luxury of conquest, but inherently bound up with it.Less
This chapter examines how imperial domination by the ruling elite influenced the appearance of the city. The elite used cultural objects both to maintain and perpetuate their control over not merely Roman society, but other peoples as well. Such display was not just an additional luxury of conquest, but inherently bound up with it.
Meghan J. DiLuzio
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691169576
- eISBN:
- 9781400883035
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691169576.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion in the Ancient World
This chapter explores the relationship between individual Vestals and their families. Vestals were legally isolated from their birth families and set apart from the traditional structures of Roman ...
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This chapter explores the relationship between individual Vestals and their families. Vestals were legally isolated from their birth families and set apart from the traditional structures of Roman society. Their unique legal status ensured that they belonged, above all, to the Roman people, whose hearth they guarded on a daily basis. However, while the order as a whole maintained its reputation as an isolated and apolitical body at the heart of Rome's religious community, individual Vestals often forged vibrant public careers for themselves and for their family members. The chapter then considers the Vestals as independent actors who more or less successfully negotiated between their identity as public priestesses and their identity as daughters, sisters, and kinswomen. It also argues that they played an important role in political life at Rome by investing in the careers of their male relatives.Less
This chapter explores the relationship between individual Vestals and their families. Vestals were legally isolated from their birth families and set apart from the traditional structures of Roman society. Their unique legal status ensured that they belonged, above all, to the Roman people, whose hearth they guarded on a daily basis. However, while the order as a whole maintained its reputation as an isolated and apolitical body at the heart of Rome's religious community, individual Vestals often forged vibrant public careers for themselves and for their family members. The chapter then considers the Vestals as independent actors who more or less successfully negotiated between their identity as public priestesses and their identity as daughters, sisters, and kinswomen. It also argues that they played an important role in political life at Rome by investing in the careers of their male relatives.
