Histos (Journal)
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A New Reading of Roman Alexander Narratives (on J. Finn, Contested Pasts: A Determinist History of Alexander the Great in the Roman Empire)
No full textThe Shadow of the Giant: Readers of Eusebius (on M. Hollerich, Making Christian History: Eusebius of Caesarea and His Readers)
No full textConflicting Reports? Augustus’ Relationship with the Senate and Established Order During His Road to Power in Res Gestae, Velleius Paterculus, Suetonius, and Tacitus
Full text linkThis paper explores four accounts of Augustus’ relationship with the senate and established order during his early career, with particular focus on his involvement in the civil wars: his own Res Gestae, Velleius Paterculus’ Roman History 2.59–89, Suetonius’ Life of Augustus, and Tacitus’ Annals 1.1–10. Through comparison of these—at times wildly conflicting—accounts, it demonstrates that relations with the senate play a significant role in verdicts on the first emperor’s rise to power. In Res Gestae Augustus executes the will of the senate from start to finish, in Velleius Paterculus he is temporarily forced to oppose the senate when it falls under the sway of the ‘Pompeian Party’, in Suetonius his questionable early career is offset by his later ciuilitas and commitment to uphold senatorial authority, while in Tacitus he is a revolutionary who relentlessly undermines the senate and turns the state upside down
Fragments of Late Hellenistic Biography (on P. Zaccaria, ed., Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker Continued. Part Four: Biography and Antiquarian Literature. IV A: Biography, Fascicle 5: The First Century BC and Hellenistic Authors of Uncertain Date)
Full text linkE Pluribus Unum? Italians and Rome from Late Republic to Augustus (on M. Aberson et al., Nos Sumus Romani Qui Fuimus Ante …: Memories of Ancient Italy)
No full textA New Study of The Life Of Augustus of Nicolaus of Damascus (on C. Burgeon, La Vie d’Auguste de Nicolas de Damas)
No full textA Guide to Periēgēsis-Literature (on E. Falaschi, Περιηγηταί nel mondo antico: Usi e interpretazioni del termine in una prospettiva cronologica)
Full text linkNeue Details zu Ab Urbe Condita als Historischer Konstruktion (on A. Roncaglia, ed., Livio ad urbem condendam: riletture del passato in età augustea)
No full textCh. 7. Autopsy from a Broken Monarchy: Trauma-based Readings from Cassius Dio’s Contemporary Rome
No full textCassius Dio’s contemporary books are often held to be for historians a particularly useful part of his Roman History. As a senator in Rome, Dio was well placed to describe what he saw during a long career in Roman politics. Dio’s eyewitness reports bring us right into the middle of the action but his own personal investment in the affairs raise the question of reliability and accuracy. In this article I read Dio’s contemporary books as a trauma-based narrative, where Dio uses personally invested autopsy accounts to paint the picture of a political collapse that follows the death of Marcus Aurelius. In Dio’s narrative, Rome is falling apart at the hands of tyrannical emperors who humiliated, pursued, prosecuted, or murdered members of the political elite who for their part were gradually losing their moral compass. Dio criticises the emperor of his time but the scope seems bigger. By sharing his traumatic experience from Roman politics, Dio’s trauma-based narrative serves to mobilise sympathy for the senators and thus a united front against the emperor of the time and the form of reign they choose.
Published in Andrew G. Scott,, ed., Studies in Contemporary Historiography (HISTOS Supplement 15), p. 163-189
Diverging Traditions on Marcellus’ Sicilian Campaign (214–211 BC): Livy, Cicero, Plutarch, and Appian on Marcellus’ Fides and Humanity
No full textThis paper attempts to analyse the discussions of and controversies about Marcellus’ campaign in Sicily in the ancient authors, with particular attention to four sources: Livy, Cicero’s Verrines, Plutarch’s Life of Marcellus, and Appian’s Sicilian book. These texts provide very different judgements about the morality of Marcellus’ deeds and reveal the presence of diverging traditions; they also show the malleability of Marcellus’ character. The debated issues appear to be centred around three main points: Marcellus’ honesty in respecting pacts and treaties; his humanity towards his enemies; and the ethical value of his pillage of Syracuse. In this paper, the malleability of Marcellus’ character is highlighted in the analysis of these representations, which seeks to connect them to the aims and approaches of the authors