AH2020 Politics and Society in the Late Roman Republic.

1 School of Archaeology & Ancient History AH2020 Politics and Society in the Late Roman Republic. Academic Year: 2009-2010 Semester: 2 Time and location: 11.00-13.00 Tuesday CW 801 First meeting: Module coordinator: e-mail: Tuesday 26 nd January Elly Cowan erc5@le.ac.uk Room: Archaeology and Ancient History 025 Office hours: Tuesday 10.00-11.00 Tuesday 13.00-14.00 Your individual appointments (e.g. tutorials, seminars): document prepared by: ERC 20.01.10 1

2 AH2020 Politics and Society in the Late Roman Republic. The Fall of the Republic. Weighting: Coordinator: Module outline: 20 credits Elly Cowan The late Republic is one of the most exciting periods of Roman history both in terms of events and evidence. This module examines both what happened in these years and, just as importantly, what people living at the time thought about it (by reading texts in translation). Topics covered will include politics, constitutional history (assemblies and elections), the impact of empire and relations between Rome and Italy. The module concentrates on the idea of the fall of the Republic in ancient and modern literature and scholarship. By looking at some key texts and inscriptions, we will explore the nature of the Roman constitution, the impact of the military dynasts and the expansion of the empire on the Republic. What was the Republic and what do we mean when we say that it fell? Aims: - to examine the fall of the Republic using a variety of evidence (literary, epigraphic, archaeological). - to engage with and assess critically modern approaches to the ancient material. Intended learning outcomes: Method(s) of teaching: On completion of the module, students will be able to: - demonstrate a critical awareness of the relevant ancient evidence and modern literature. - research an essay topic (including constructing a bibliography), formulate a rigorous argument on the basis of primary and secondary sources, and present it in the form of a well structured, word-processed essay. - research and present a detailed commentary on a primary literary source. - present research in a scholarly and lucid manner. - demonstrate a familiarity with the techniques and skills of an ancient historian. - participate effectively in group discussions, demonstrating clarity, fluency and coherence in oral expression. Lectures and Seminars. Method of assessment: Essay (2,500 words). 70%. Source Commentary (1,500 words). 30%. 2

3 Teaching wk Teaching schedule Seminar Week 14 Tuesday 26 th January Introduction. Week 15 2 nd Feb. Cicero and the res publica. Cicero Philippics and selected letters. Week 16 9 th Feb. The murder of Caesar. Nicolaus of Damascus and Cornelius Nepos Week 17 16 th Feb. Philippi, Perusia, Actium Virgil, Eclogues and Civil war Inscriptions Week 18 23 rd Feb. Poets and Augustus Horace Week 19 2 nd March READING WEEK Week 20 9 th March Peace Women and civil war Week 21 16 th March The res publica and Caesar. Res Gestae Week 22 23 rd March Law, disorder and ideology. EASTER VACATION Augustan coinage. Week 23 4 th May Res Publica Amissa? Look back in anger: Velleius Paterculus and Lucan. You are required to attend the first seminar and at least one other seminar. 3

4 Assignments and deadlines Source Commentary: (30%) The source commentary is a short piece (1,500 words) on one of the sources which we will cover in seminars. You should present your work in accordance with the essay guidelines set out in the Handbook. Source Commentary Deadline: Monday 8 th March 2010. Sources for comment (bibliographies for these sources are available on Blackboard): 1. Cicero, Ad. Fam. X.28 (SB - Loeb 364) 2. Cicero, Ad. Fam. XII.10 (SB Loeb 425) 3. Cicero, Ad. Att. XV.11 (SB 389. n.b. see also ad. Brut. I.18 (SB Loeb 24)) 4. Cicero,, Ad. Att. XVI.15 (SB 426 n.b. you should also look at APPENDIX III) 5. Cicero, Ad. Brut. I.15 (SB Loeb 23) 6. Cicero, Ad. Brut. I.5 (SB Loeb 9) PLEASE NOTE: 1. Only a limited number of people will be able to do each source. You must sign up on the list outside my office. 2. You should attend the first seminar since this is the class in which your source will be discussed! The better prepared you come to this class, the more helpful you will find it. Ideally, it would be good to have your paper written or planned and bring it with you to class. Then you can just tinker with it before handing it in. THE TASK: This task has two elements. First, you must demonstrate your ability to analyze the primary source (see below) and second, you must demonstrate your ability to construct and use a scholarly bibliography. Obviously the two tasks are closely related! The key to this task is to be detailed and specific. Focus on your source, its context, language and ideas. In writing your analysis, you need to consider the following: 1. The context in which the source was produced. This means the specific context of your letter, not the letters in general. Think about, the specific point in Cicero s life and career at which he produced the letter as well as the political and social context in which he was writing. 2. The content of your letter, including the purpose of the latter and the ideas used in it. You should also explain to whom it was sent and why. 4

5 3. You should look at the language of your letter. How is Cicero using language to try to get his ideas across (e.g. look for emotive language, persuasive language etc). HELP: your letter will have been translated from the Latin. You should look at the Latin for your letter either in the LOEB edition or online via the Latin Library. If you think that there are words in the translation which are really interesting, or powerful, or emotional, try to find the Latin used. You should then look this word up in your Latin dictionary and see whether your word had a particular meaning to a Roman audience which will help you understand what Cicero is trying to say or, as importantly, how he is trying to say it. 4. Your should consider how you, as an historian can make use of your letter when trying to understand the history of the Late Republic. How important is your letter? What other evidence supports or adds to its usefulness? NB: follow Handbook conventions for referencing modern scholarship and ancient sources. This assignment should be submitted in the usual way both electronically and in hardcopy, with a cover sheet, and placed in the box in the Archaeology and Ancient History foyer. Essay: (70%) you are required to write a 2,500 word essay for this course. Please read the section on essay writing in the Handbook. If you have any questions about your essay, please arrange to see your subject co-ordinator well before the essay is due. All essays must be word-processed and properly referenced (consult the Handbook). Your essay bibliography must include at least twenty (20) items. Essays should be submitted to the second year box in the Archaeology Foyer by 5pm on the deadline, or lateness penalties will be incurred (see the Handbook). Essays are expected to be well researched. You may start with the reading recommended on the Blackboard website but you must go further. Ancient sources are essential reading and should be studied closely; modern literature is there to help you identify and understand the key issues and the problems the ancient sources may present. More extensive essay bibliographies are available on Blackboard. Essay Deadline: 5 p.m. Monday 10 th May 2007 THE TASK: The essay is the major piece of coursework for this module. It is intended to help you develop and demonstrate many of the key skills that will be involved in writing your dissertation next year. So, in addition to demonstrating that you can construct a scholarly bibliography and present a scholarly argument which is supported by primary sources you should also be concentrating on having your own argument! At this stage in your academic career you need to be moving away from providing a synthesis of other people s ideas (although it is important to know what these ideas are) and presenting your own response to the issues raised by the questions supported by your own interpretation of the primary evidence. 5

6 Essay topic 1. Surviving ancient sources written during his lifetime are simply propaganda for Augustus, saying what he wanted them to say!. How do we use primary evidence to construct the history of the Late Republic? Primary sources: Obviously, for this essay, you should look at one or more primary sources. These might include the sources that we have looked at in class already but you may not focus on the same source that you wrote about in your source commentary essay. You should make use of a commentary on the source(s) that you have selected. Secondary reading: You should aim to read generally on the topic as well as specifically on the particular source(s) that you have selected. Consult the general bibliography for the course. A. Barchiasi, The Poet and Prince. Ovid and Augustan discourse. (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1997). M. Beard, A complex of times: No more sheep on Romulus birthday PCPS 33 (1987) 1-15. *W. Eder, Augustus and the power of tradition in K. Raaflaub and M. Toher edd., Between Republic and Empire: interpretations of Augustus and his principate (California University Press, Berkeley: 1994), 71-123. This paper is also collected in K. Galinsky ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Augustus (Cambridge, 2005), 13-33. *K. Galinsky, Augustan Culture (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1996) J. Griffin, Latin Poets and Roman Life (Bristol, 1985) --- Augustan poets and Augustanism in K. Galinsky ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Augustus (Cambridge, 2005), 306-21. E.S. Gruen, Augustus and the making of the principate in K. Galinsky ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Augustus (Cambridge, 2005), 33-55. R. Gurval, Actium and Augustus. The Politics and Emotions of Civil War (Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1995). T. Habinek, The Politics of Latin Literature: writing, identity and empire in ancient Rome (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1998). F. Millar, Triumvirate and principate, Journal of Roman Studies 63 (1973) 50-67. J. Osgood, Caesar s Legacy. Civil War and the Emergence of Empire. (Cambridge, 2007). A. Powell, ed. Roman Poetry and Propaganda in the Age of Augustus (Bristol, 1992). *R. Syme, The Roman Revolution (Oxford, 1939). A. Wallace-Hadrill, The Emperor and his virtues Historia 30 (1981) 298-323. The Golden Age and Sin in Augustan Ideology P&P 95 (1982) 19-36. 6

7 Civilis Princeps: between citizen and king JRS 72 (1982) 32-48. Time for Augustus: Ovid, Augustus & the Fasti, in Whitby, M. & M., Hardie P. (edd..) Homo Viator, Classical Essays for John Bramble. (Bristol, 1987) 221-30. *P. White, Poets in the new milieu: realigning K. Galinsky ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Augustus (Cambridge, 2005), 321-40. *P. Zanker, The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. Tr. A. Shapiro. (Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1988). Essay topic 2. Augustus restoration of the res publica was all a shame, a façade behind which lurked monarchy. Discuss. Primary sources: Obviously, for this essay, you should look at one or more primary sources. These might include the sources that we have looked at in class already but you may not focus on the same source that you wrote about in your source commentary essay. You should make use of a commentary on the source(s) that you have selected. You should read: Augustus, Res Gestae 34. Secondary reading: You should aim to read generally on the topic as well as specifically on the particular source(s) that you have selected. Start with these key works and then consult the general bibliography for the course. A. Cooley, The Res Gestae Divi Augusti. Text, Translation and Commentary. (Cambridge, 2009). [See EC] *W. Eck, The Age of Augustus. Tr. D. Schneider. (Oxford, Blackwells, 1998). *W. Eder, Augustus and the power of tradition in K. Raaflaub and M. Toher edd., Between Republic and Empire: interpretations of Augustus and his principate (California University Press, Berkeley: 1994), 71-123. This paper is also collected in K. Galinsky ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Augustus (Cambridge, 2005), 13-33. *F. Millar, Triumvirate and principate, Journal of Roman Studies 63 (1973) 50-67. J. Osgood, Caesar s Legacy. Civil War and the Emergence of Empire. (Cambridge, 2007). J. Rich, & J.H.C. Williams, leges et iura p.r. restituit: a new aureus of Octavian and the settlement of 28-27 BC. NC 159 (1999) 169-213. *E.T. Salmon, The evolution of the Augustan Principate Historia 5 (1956) 456-78. *R. Syme, The Roman Revolution (Oxford, 1939). *A. Wallace-Hadrill, Civilis Princeps: between citizen and king JRS 72 (1982) 32-48. P. Zanker, The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. Tr. A. Shapiro. (Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1988). 7

8 It is strongly recommended that you read the books on the bibliography and that you do further research. 8

9 Basic Reading There is no textbook for this course. You may, however, find the following useful: Cambridge Ancient History vol. 9-10. Bringmann, K., 2007, A History of the Roman Republic, Cambridge: Polity Press. Flower, H. (ed.), 2004, The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic. Cambridge: CUP. Gowing, A. 2005, Empire and Memory. Cambridge: CUP. Osgood, J. 2007, Caesar s Legacy. Civil War and the Emergence of Empire. Cambridge: CUP. Secondary Literature: Primary Sources: Ancient Sources: The list below is by no means complete, but details some of the main literary sources for this period of Roman history. All are available in Penguin translations and/or the Loeb Classical Library; almost all can be found online, e.g. at the Perseus website; links to many of the main sources of online translations can be found on the Blackboard site. Appian, Civil Wars Julius Caesar, Civil War, Gallic War, Alexandrian war Cicero, Orationes (Speeches), Epistulae (Letters); also treatises such as De re republica (On the Republic), De officiis ( On Duties ). Dio Cassius, Roman History Dionysius of Halicarnassus History Horace, Odes, Epodes, Satires Livy, Ab urba condita (History of Rome) Cornelius Nepos, Life of Atticus Nicolaus of Damascus, Life of Augustus Polybius, History of Rome Plutarch, Lives Sallust, Catalina (The Catiline Conspiracy), Jugurtha (The War against Jugurtha) Suetonius, Lives of the Emperors Tacitus, Annals, Histories, Agricola, Germania Virgil, Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid 9

10 Source Books: Braund, D.1985. Augustus to Nero: A Sourcebook, London: Croom Helm. Lewis, N., and Reinhold, M.1955 (most recent reissue 1990). Roman Civilization: A Sourcebook (Two vols. 1. The Republic; 2. The Empire), New York: Harper Torchbooks. Sherk, R.K. 1984. Rome and the Greek East to the Age of Augustus (Translated Documents of Greece and Rome 4), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - - 1988.The Roman Empire: Augustus to Hadrian (Translated Documents of Greece and Rome 6), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Stockton, D. (ed.) 1981. From the Gracchi to Sulla: Sources for Roman History, 133-80 BC. LACTOR 13. London. General Bibliography You will find detailed accounts of all the main aspects of Roman history in: The Cambridge Ancient History (2 nd edition), vols. 7, 8, 9, 10 (1989, 1994, 1996). Some Key Reference Works Hornblower, S. and Spawforth, A. (eds.). 2003 (3 rd edn revised). The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Invaluable short articles on almost everything, and everyone important, together with core bibliography; also with a list of common abbreviations for ancient and modern literature.] Broughton, T.R.S. 1951-52. The Magistrates of the Roman Republic. I. 509 100 BC; 2. 99 31 BC. New York: American Philological Association. [A list, year by year, of all known Republican magistrates, together with their main activities and the ancient source references invaluable.] Talbert, R.J.A. (ed) 2000. Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton NJ, Woodstock: Princeton University Press. [The ultimate set of maps for the ancient world; with region-by-region gazette in 2 accompanying volumes.] Note that this bibliography consists almost entirely of monographs. You will rapidly discover that there is a huge amount of very detailed discussion of specific areas of interest in journal articles. You should use these books to help you locate further information both in the ancient sources and other modern literature, such as journal articles (compare the essay reading lists, which have many journal articles in them). Beard M. and M.H. Crawford. 1999 (2 nd edn). Rome in the late Republic. Problems and Interpretations. London: Duckworth. 10

11 Brennan, T.C. 2000. The Praetorship in the Roman Republic. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Brunt, P.A. 1971a. Italian Manpower 225 BC- AD 14. Oxford: Clarendon Press. - - 1971b. Social Conflicts in the Roman Republic. London: Chatto & Windus. - - 1988. The Fall of the Roman Republic and Related Essays. Oxford: Clarendon Press. - - 1990. Roman Imperial Themes. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Burckhardt, L.A. 1990. The Political Elite of the Roman Republic. Historia 39: 77-99. Campbell, J.B. 1984. The Emperor and the Roman Army 31 BC-AD 235. Oxford: Clarendon Press. - - 2002. War and Society in Imperial Rome 31 BC-AD 284. London and New York: Routledge. Carney, T.F. 1962. A Biography of Caius Marius. Proceedings of the African Classical Associations Supplement 1. Eck, W. 2003. The Age of Augustus (trans. D. Lucas Schneider). Oxford: Blackwell. Flower, H. 1996. Ancestor Masks and Aristocratic Power in Roman Culture. Oxford: OUP. - - 2006. The Art of Forgetting: Disgrace and Oblivion in Roman Political Culture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Gelzer, M. 1968 [1960]. Caesar: politician and statesman (translated by P. Needham). Oxford: Blackwell. - - 1969 [1912]. The Roman Nobility (translated by R. Seager). Oxford: Blackwell. Gruen, E.S. (ed.). 1970. Imperialism in the Roman Republic. New York; London: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. - - 1974. The Last Generation of the Roman Republic. Berkeley: University of California Press. Hardie, P. (ed.), 1999. Virgil. Critical Assessments of Classical Authors. London: Routledge. Keppie, L.1984. The Making of the Roman Army. London: Batsford. Lacey, W. K. 1996. Augustus and the Principate. The Evolution of the System. Leeds: Francis Cairns. Lintott, A. 1967. Violence in Republican Rome. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - - 1993. Imperium Romanum: Politics and Administration. London: Routledge. - - 1999. The Constitution of the Roman Republic. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Lyne, R.O.A.M. 1987. Further Voices in Virgil s Aeneid. Oxford: Clarendon. MacMullen, R. 1974. Roman social relations, 50 BC to AD 284. New Haven CT; London: Yale University Press. 11

12 Malkin, I. and Rubinsohn, Z. (eds.) 1995. Leaders and Masses in the Roman World: studies in honour of Zvi Yavetz. New York: E. Brill. Marshall, B.A. 1976. Crassus: a political biography. Amsterdam: Hakkert. Martin, R. 1981. Tacitus. London: Batsford. Mattingly, D. (ed.) 1997. Dialogues in Roman Imperialism. Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series 23. Portsmouth, R.I. McColl, J.B. 2002. The Cavalry Of The Roman Republic. London: Routledge. [on order] Miles, G.B. 1997. Livy: reconstructing early Rome. Ithaca, London: Cornell University Press. [on order] Millar, F.G.B. 1964. A Study in Cassius Dio, Oxford, Clarendon Press. - - 1966. The emperor, the senate, and the provinces. Journal of Roman Studies 56: 156-66. - - 1973. Triumvirate and principate, Journal of Roman Studies 63: 50-67. - - 1977. The Emperor in the Roman World. London: Duckworth. - - 1981. The Roman Empire and its Neighbours. London: Duckworth. - - 1984. The political character of the classical Roman Republic, 200-151 B.C., Journal of Roman Studies 74: 1-19. - - 1986. Politics, persuasion, and the people before the Social War (150-90 BC) Journal of Roman Studies 76:1-11. - - 1989. Political power in mid-republican Rome: curia or comitium, Journal of Roman Studies 79: 138-50. - - 1998. The Crowd in Republican Rome. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. - - 2002. The Roman Republic in political thought. Hanover; London: University Press of New England. - - 2002. (ed. H.M. Cotton & G.M. Rogers). Rome, the Greek world, and the East. Vol.1, The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. - - 2004. (ed. H.M. Cotton & G.M. Rogers). Rome, the Greek world, and the East. Vol 2, Government, society, and culture in the Roman Empire. Chapel Hill, NC; London: University of North Carolina Press. Millar, F, and Segal, C. (eds) 1983. Caesar Augustus: Seven Aspects. Oxford: Calrendon Press. Mitchell, T.N. 1979. Cicero: The Ascending Years. New Haven: Yale University Press. Mitchell, T.N. 1991. Cicero: The Senior Statesman. New Haven: Yale University Press. Mouritsen, H. 1998. Italian Unification. London: Institute of Classical Studies. 12

13 - - 2001. Plebs and politics in the late Roman Republic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Münzer, F. 1999 [1920]. Roman Aristocratic Parties And Families, trans. T. Ridley. Baltimore, London: Johns Hopkins University Press. [on order] Nicolet, C. 1980. The World of the Citizen in Republican Rome. London: Batsford. - - 1991. Space, Geography, and Politics in the Early Roman Empire. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Nippel, W. 1995. Public Order in Ancient Rome. Cambridge: CUP. North, J.A. 1981. The development of Roman imperialism, Journal of Roman Studies 71: 1-9. - - 1990. Democratic politics in Republican Rome, Past and Present 126: 3-21. Potter, T.W. 1987. Roman Italy. London: Batsford. Raaflaub, K. (ed.) 1986. Social Struggles in Archaic Rome: new perpsectives on the conflict of the orders. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: California University Press. Raaflaub, K. and Toher, M. (eds.) 1990. Between Republic and Empire. Interpretations of Augustus and his Principate. Berkeley: University of California Press. Rajak, T. 1983. Josephus: the Historian and his Society. London: Duckworth. Rawson, E. 1975a. Cicero: A Portrait. London: Penguin. - - 1975b. Caesar s heritage: Hellenistic kings and their Roman equals, Journal of Roman studies 65: 148-59. - - 1985. Intellectual Life in the Roman Republic. London: Duckworth. Rich, J. (ed.) 1992. The City in Late Antiquity. London: Routledge. Scullard, H.H. 1970a (3rd edn). From the Gracchi to Nero. London: Routledge. - - 1970b. Scipio Africanus, soldier and politician. London : Thames & Hudson. - - 1973 (2nd edn). Roman politics, 220-150 B.C. Oxford: Clarendon Press. - - 1991 (4th edn). A history of the Roman world 753-146 BC. London: Routledge. Seager, R. (ed.) 1969. The Crisis of the Roman Republic: studies in political and social history. Cambridge: Heffer. - - 1979. Pompey: a political biography. Oxford: Blackwell. Sherwin-White, A.N. 1973 (2 nd edn). The Roman Citizenship. Oxford: Clarendon Press. - - 1984. Roman Foreign Policy in the East, 168 B.C. to A.D. 1. London: Duckworth. Shotter, D. 1991. Augustus Caesar. London: Routledge. Stockton, D. 1971. Cicero: a political biography. London: Oxford University Press. - - 1979. The Gracchi. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 13

14 Syme, R. 1939. The Roman Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - - 1958. Tacitus. Oxford: Clarendon Press. - - 1964. Sallust. Cambridge: CUP. Talbert, R. 1984. The Senate of Imperial Rome. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Tatum, W.J. 1999. The Patrician Tribune: Publius Clodius Pulcher. Chapel Hill; London: The University of North Carolina Press. Taylor, L.R. 1949. Party Politics in the Age of Caesar. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. - - 1966. Roman voting assemblies : from the Hannibalic war to the dictatorship of Caesar. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. Treggiari, S. 2007. Terentia, Tullia and Publilia: the women of Cicero s family. London: Routledge. Wallace-Hadrill, A. 1983. Suetonius, the Scholar and his Caesars. London: Duckworth. - - (ed.) 1989. Patronage in Ancient Society. London: Routledge. White, P. 1993. Promised Verse: Poets in the society of Augustan Rome. Harvard: Harvard UP. Yavetz, Z. 1969. Plebs and princeps. Oxford: Clarendon Press. - - 1983. Julius Caesar and his public image. London: Thames and Hudson. Zanker, P. 1988. The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. This is a get-you-started reading list; you should feel free to read more than is listed here. Try to set yourself a realistic target of books and articles to read every week, factoring in when you know you will be busy with assignments. 14