Virtus Romana: Politics and Morality in the Roman HistoriansThe political transformation that took place at the end of the Roman Republic was a particularly rich area for analysis by the era’s historians. Major narrators chronicled the crisis that saw the end of the Roman Republic and the changes that gave birth to a new political system. These writers drew significantly on the Roman idea of virtus as a way of interpreting and understanding their past. Tracing how virtus informed Roman thought over time, Catalina Balmaceda 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 virtus in these historical narratives served as a form of self-definition that 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 sociocultural values and norms that underpinned Roman attitudes about both present and past. This book offers a reappraisal of the historians as promoters of change and continuity in the political culture of both the Republic and the Empire. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 14 | |
Virtus in Sallust | 48 |
Virtus in Livy | 83 |
Virtus in Velleius | 129 |
Virtus in Tacitus | 157 |
Conclusion | 242 |
| 249 | |
| 285 | |
Other editions - View all
Virtus Romana: Politics and Morality in the Roman Historians Catalina Balmaceda No preview available - 2017 |
Virtus Romana: Politics and Morality in the Roman Historians Catalina Balmaceda No preview available - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
achieve action Agricola Annals appears arete army atque Augustus battle behavior Bellum brave bravery Catiline Cato character Cicero civil concept of virtus constantia Corbulo corruption courage death decline deeds displayed Domitian emperor empire enemies Ennius especially ethical example exempla Fabius fear fight freedom Galba Germania Germanicus glory Greek hand Helvidius Hist historical writing historiography homines novi homo novus honor idea imperial important Jugurtha Lepidus libertas Livy Livy's mainly Marcellus Marcus Lepidus Marius meaning Metellus military moderatio moderation moral Mucianus narrative Nero nobilitas nobility one's Otho philosophy Plautus plebeians praise present principate qualities quam republic republican res publica role Roman historians Roman political Roman virtus Rome Sall Sallust Scipio seems Sejanus Senate soldiers speech Stoic Stoicism Syme Tacitus Tiberius tion traditional valor Vell Velleius Paterculus Vespasian virilis-virtus Virtus Romana virtutem Vitellius wars women Woodman word virtus