Political Violence in the Roman Republic
December 23, 2007
This table compiles names of prominent individuals who were victims of political violence in the Roman Republic. The term is used loosely and includes those killed in civil war, exiled and/or convicted on various politically inspired prosecutions, as well as those proscribed and otherwise murdered.
This compilation highlights the period from the Gracchi to the Death of C. Iulius Caesar (132 - 44 BC). Parts 2 and 3 (detailing the early Republic and the period from Caesar to the 3rd Augustan settlement) will follow later.
Political Violence in the Roman Republic
Augustus and the Success of the Empire
December 18, 2007
A special guest contribution from community member "Wotwotius"...
"In my sixth and seventh consulships [28-27 BC], after I had extinguished civil wars, and at a time when with universal consent I was in complete control of affairs, I transferred the republic from my power to the dominion of the senate and people of Rome…After this time I excelled all in influence [auctoritas], although I possessed no more official power [potestas] than others who were my colleagues in the several magistracies." (Res Gestae Divi Augusti 34.1-3)[[1]]
It is with these words that Augustus not only describes, but also justifies his unique political position. Although it is easy to see through his transparent veil, it is also easy to see how the above statement embodies both the subtly and political delicacy used by Rome’s first emperor. His political power is masqueraded as personal ‘auctoritas’; his power achieved through his military supremacy passed off as rule by ‘universal consent’ – to use a historical cliché, Augustus was the archetypal ‘master of spin’....
Continue with "Why Augustus was so successful in creating the Roman Empire"
From Alexander to Cleopatra
December 10, 2007
A comparative review by Ursus to "The Hellenistic World"
"Michael Grant, one of the seminal giants of classical studies, provides a thorough examination of the Hellenistic world in From Alexander to Cleopatra. While 25 years old since its original printing, the tome still serves as a comprehensive and readable survey. It is similar to Walbank’s The Hellenistic World, only larger and more detailed. Indeed, having reviewed Walbank above, I would find myself repeating much of the basic information for this review if I stuck to the standard format. Fortunately, Grant does offer at times a distinct focus from Walbank, one that I found particularly insightful: the limits of Hellenization. For those that think Alexander initiated an age where everyone in the ancient world became students of Homer and Plato, Grant offers intriguing evidence that the depth of Hellenization in the Hellenistic world falls far short of universal reach"...
Read the full review of From Alexander to Cleopatra Michael Grant.
The Hellenistic World
A review by "Ursus"...
"The parochial Hellenic city-states had fought tooth and nail against Persia's unkind attempt to absorb them into a greater realm. Unfortunately for them, Alexander’s imperial ambitions would detach the Hellenic world from the quaint provincialism of the Classical Age and launch them into the cosmopolitan chaos of the Hellenistic Age. Even as Alexander's successors divided his vast realm amongst themselves, a new age dawned through the interaction of the Hellene and the so-called barbarian. This age, furthermore, would entreat and inform a Roman Empire waiting in the winds. F.W. Walbank in his The Hellenistic World judiciously identifies the commonalties and divergences of the various Hellenistic states."...
Read the full review of The Hellenistic World by F.W. Walbank.
