Arthur Pomeroy | Victoria University of Wellington (original) (raw)
Papers by Arthur Pomeroy
Journal of Roman Studies, 2002
REVIEWS call it, following the A manuscripts). On the other hand, it is frustrating that the cont... more REVIEWS call it, following the A manuscripts). On the other hand, it is frustrating that the contributors, for whatever reason, have not engaged much with each other's arguments: they take contradictory positions on some important issues, but do not argue in detail with the opposing case. Thus, for instance, Brian S. Hook, 'Nothing within which passeth show: Character and Color in Senecan Tragedy' (53-71), argues that Seneca's characters have no interiority-the characters are simply their rhetoric-and this is juxtaposed with Hanna M. Roisman, 'A New Look at Seneca's Phaedra' (73-86), who certainly does attribute a rich inner life to the characters, in a paper which compares Seneca with Euripides (building on her book Nothing Is As It Seems: The Tragedy of the Implicit in Euripides (1999)). Other papers, too, implicitly contradict Hook's position, but nobody takes up his arguments. On the central issue of staging, there are, as it were, two and a half contributors who do not believe the plays were written for staging. John G. Fitch, 'Playing Seneca?' (1-12), reviews the debate, and proposes that some scenes of Seneca's plays are for staging and others are not. Elaine Fantham, 'Production of Seneca's Trojan Woman, Ancient? And Modern' (13-26), first argues against the Troades being written for staging, on the basis of the theatrical inefficacy of the choral odes, and then-changing gear-describes how she herself would want to produce the play on the modern stage. Sander M. Goldberg, 'Going for Baroque: Seneca and the English' (209-31), stimulatingly contrasts Seneca both with English Renaissance tragedy and with earlier Roman tragedy, arguing that his plays were for recitation, and were part of the rhetorical aristocratic culture that consciously set itself apart from the staged spectacles of mythological mimes and costumed executions. On the other side of the debate, C. W. Marshall, 'Location! Location! Location! Choral Absence and Dramatic Space in Seneca's Troades' (27-51), argues that choral exits and entries contributed to the establishing of changing locations in the play. The editor, Harrison, in 'Semper Ego Auditor Tantum? Performance and Physical Setting of Seneca's Plays' (137-49), argues that Seneca composed for the odeum or small covered theatre. The producer of the Xavier performance, Gyllian Raby, describes the evolution of her production in 'Seneca's Trojan Women: Identity and Survival in the Aftermath of War' (173-95); while an insight into a very different modern performance is provided by Katharina Volk, who played Andromacha in W. Stroh's production of Troas (sic) in Latin at Munich in 1993 ('Putting Andromacha on Stage: A Performer's Perspective' (197-208)). None of these really tackles the anti-staging arguments in detail; though one should not complain too much that a book forces one to think for oneself.
A Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome on Screen, 2017
A Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome on Screen, 2017
Brill’s Companion to the Classics, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, 2017
Brill’s Companion to the Classics, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany explores how political propagan... more Brill’s Companion to the Classics, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany explores how political propaganda constantly manipulated and reinvented the legacy of ancient Greece and Rome in order to create consensus and historical legitimation for the Fascist and National Socialist dictatorships.
Ramus, 1980
The first poem in a new poetry book is of paramount importance. As the first that a reader — or b... more The first poem in a new poetry book is of paramount importance. As the first that a reader — or browser — would see, it acted as a virtual preface by giving some indication of the content and style of the whole collection. While the initial poems in books of elegies and satires have often enough been examined for their ‘programmatic’ content, the function of the first of Horace's odes is less clear.
The Journal of New Zealand Studies, 2014
The Memorial Window in the Hunter Building at Victoria University offers interesting insights int... more The Memorial Window in the Hunter Building at Victoria University offers interesting insights into the commemoration of the Great War in New Zealand. The Frederick Ellis design shows strong Anglican Christian iconography, in line with dominant traditions at the College up to the war. The Gallipoli campaign also features much more prominently than the Western Front, since it could be portrayed as a holy crusade against the Turk. As time passes, the ANZAC experience becomes part of the wider New Zealand mythology, but the religious conflict is expunged.
Ramus, 1989
The second half of the first century A.D. is the age of the senatorial poet at Rome. While previo... more The second half of the first century A.D. is the age of the senatorial poet at Rome. While previously Rome's poets frequently were outsiders adopted into the system (Vergil and Horace in particular come to mind in this connection), now members of the inner circles of government could actively display their literary talents and preferences. There can be little doubt that the reign of Nero is mainly responsible for this state of affairs — there is a revival of Roman poetry such as has not been seen since the age of Augustus, evidenced by the diverse works of Lucan, Persius, and even the emperor himself. Previous emperors had dabbled in poetry, but as hardly anything more than a hobby. Now the most important personages in the Roman state could openly engage in creative writing. This trend, beginning under Nero, continues in the Flavian Age, many of whose most prominent members, including the founder of the dynasty himself, originally came to the forefront under the last of the Juli...
The Classical Quarterly, 2017
Roman conflict with Parthia in the mid first century for control of Armenia and Domitius Corbulo&... more Roman conflict with Parthia in the mid first century for control of Armenia and Domitius Corbulo's exploits in the East, culminating in the Parthian candidate for the throne, Tiridates, receiving his diadem from the hands of the Emperor Nero in Rome, have frequently been studied for what they reveal about military and diplomatic manoeuvres under the later Julio-Claudians. The historiographical investigation of our main source, Tacitus, particularly through comparison with the fragments of Cassius Dio, is also important for the light this sheds on the Roman senator's methods. The intention of this paper is to draw attention to the complexity of Tacitus’ account by indicating his use of multiple and sometimes contradictory viewpoints in his narration of Caesennius Paetus’ unsuccessful Armenian campaign of a.d. 62–63 (Ann. 15.1–17) and to highlight an unrecognized echoing of his predecessor Livy by the historian. The examination of a text that is as elusive as it is allusive wi...
The Classical Review, 2014
Ancient Greek Women in Film, 2013
Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica, 1986
Page 1. Somnus and Amor: the Play of Statius, Silvae 5,4 Arthur J. Pomeroy No piece of Statius&am... more Page 1. Somnus and Amor: the Play of Statius, Silvae 5,4 Arthur J. Pomeroy No piece of Statius' poetry is as familiar as Somnus. Its brevity appeals to the compilers of anthologies and its elegance rewards the attention of the browser. ...
Phoenix, 1992
Page 1. TRIMALCHIO AS DELICIAE ARTHUR J. POMEROY WHEN TRIMALCHIO'S BANQUET is resumed with n... more Page 1. TRIMALCHIO AS DELICIAE ARTHUR J. POMEROY WHEN TRIMALCHIO'S BANQUET is resumed with new food and attendants, a particularly attractive slave-boy engages the attention of the master of the household (Sat. 74.8). ...
International Journal of the Classical Tradition, 2011
Page 1. The production of edited volumes devoted to individual films or television se-ries about ... more Page 1. The production of edited volumes devoted to individual films or television se-ries about the ancient world (eg Gladiator, Troy, Spartacus, Fall of the Roman Empire, or HBO's Rome) has become a significant industry in the burgeoning field of classical reception studies. ...
The Classical Review, 2005
text. The idea that Pliny has deliberately included a (brief ) discussion of portraiture as a way... more text. The idea that Pliny has deliberately included a (brief ) discussion of portraiture as a way of making his own work more memorable seems a little forced, since the actual passage is so short. However, if there was any doubt at all about the cohesiveness of the project, C. demonstrates her strong control over the material, by weaving it all together very deftly in the conclusion. Pliny is revealed as the author of empire, taking a Greek tradition of learning and turning it into a vehicle for Roman conquest. This book, then, o¶ers a neat way of dealing with Pliny’s huge work and of presenting it as more than just the sum of its diverse and lengthy parts. From this point of view, C. does an excellent job of inserting Pliny more squarely into the wider concerns of contemporary scholarship. A possible criticism would be that there are some big, di ̧cult, and potentially messy questions lurking beneath the surface here that have been suppressed for the sake of neatness—but how does one author go about dealing with everything?
The Classical Review, 2002
Donna Hurley continues her services to Suetonian studies with this edition of the Life of Claudiu... more Donna Hurley continues her services to Suetonian studies with this edition of the Life of Claudius in the Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics series, which should win favour with students and scholars. There is a brief introduction to Suetonius, his work, and Claudius’ history; the Latin text, based on Ihm’s Teubner edition; nearly 200 pages of commentary (for twenty-μve pages of text), covering historical and linguistic matters; bibliography; three indices: Latin words, general topics (both historical and syntactical), and personal names; and two stemmatic diagrams. H.’s treatment of Suetonius is generally conservative and slightly apologetic. In the introduction she situates him as last in the line of historians who narrated the events of Claudius’ reign. This may usefully be contrasted with the more positive depiction of the biographer’s work as a meditation on imperial rule presented in Catharine Edwards’s Oxford World’s Classics translation (2000). The Latin text is reliable (but note a rare misprint at 38.1, where facientes should be corrected to facientis, correctly printed in the notes). Only at 20.1 is the choice of text debatable. H. prints opera magna potiusque [potius quam MSS] necessaria quam multa perfecit sed vel praecipua, regarding the chapter titles for Claudius’ public e¶orts as non-judgemental. However, keeping potius quam and deleting the second quam gives better sense: the fact that Suetonius needs to o¶er a selection suggests that the works attempted were indeed many, and the following description of the projects as ones which had been abandoned by previous emperors, now chosen for the emperor’s gloria, suggests that these were not essential. The commentary provides detailed historical background and considerable assistance to the student translating the Latin. H. is particularly good at emphasizing the nuances of connective particles, regularly referring to OLD entries and sections. Sometimes this borders on the pedagogical, with single English renderings and instructions to translate in a particular manner, rather than explication of the range of meaning of Latin terms. For instance, 28 ‘tantum . . . acquirere et rapere’ is glossed as ‘to amass such wealth by plunder’, following the hendiadys of Rolfe’s Loeb translation. Edwards’s ‘to appropriate and embezzle’, however, suggests a greater shading of legality in the activities of Claudius’ freedmen. Still, students approaching Suetonius for the μrst time will appreciate the assistance. As always, there will be disagreements over the interpretation of passages. In 1.2, describing Drusus as the μrst to sail the North Sea, the importance of primacy as a claim to fame might be more strongly underlined. Such an emphasis on creating precedents may also lie behind Claudius’ apparently inept assertion that he was the μrst Claudian to have adopted an outsider into his clan (39.2). In the same passage, the apparition of the German woman who warns Drusus to turn back is explained as speaking Latin as the mouthpiece of patria or Roma. But Africa also speaks Latin to Curtius Rufus (Plin. Ep. 7.27.2). 3.2: Livia’s preference for written communication with Claudius whenever possible is explained as an epistolary habit in the royal family (cf. Augustus’ letter to Livia in 4). Rather, it re·ects the aristocratic practice of avoiding speaking to one’s inferiors (Tac. Ann. 13.23.2). In 15.1 (‘decurias rerum actu’), actu is rightly explained as dative of purpose, but the unusual dative ending in -u (see Aul. Gell. NA 4.16.5–9) needs comment. The di ̧cult passage about the juror who is 22
Journal of Roman Studies, 2002
REVIEWS call it, following the A manuscripts). On the other hand, it is frustrating that the cont... more REVIEWS call it, following the A manuscripts). On the other hand, it is frustrating that the contributors, for whatever reason, have not engaged much with each other's arguments: they take contradictory positions on some important issues, but do not argue in detail with the opposing case. Thus, for instance, Brian S. Hook, 'Nothing within which passeth show: Character and Color in Senecan Tragedy' (53-71), argues that Seneca's characters have no interiority-the characters are simply their rhetoric-and this is juxtaposed with Hanna M. Roisman, 'A New Look at Seneca's Phaedra' (73-86), who certainly does attribute a rich inner life to the characters, in a paper which compares Seneca with Euripides (building on her book Nothing Is As It Seems: The Tragedy of the Implicit in Euripides (1999)). Other papers, too, implicitly contradict Hook's position, but nobody takes up his arguments. On the central issue of staging, there are, as it were, two and a half contributors who do not believe the plays were written for staging. John G. Fitch, 'Playing Seneca?' (1-12), reviews the debate, and proposes that some scenes of Seneca's plays are for staging and others are not. Elaine Fantham, 'Production of Seneca's Trojan Woman, Ancient? And Modern' (13-26), first argues against the Troades being written for staging, on the basis of the theatrical inefficacy of the choral odes, and then-changing gear-describes how she herself would want to produce the play on the modern stage. Sander M. Goldberg, 'Going for Baroque: Seneca and the English' (209-31), stimulatingly contrasts Seneca both with English Renaissance tragedy and with earlier Roman tragedy, arguing that his plays were for recitation, and were part of the rhetorical aristocratic culture that consciously set itself apart from the staged spectacles of mythological mimes and costumed executions. On the other side of the debate, C. W. Marshall, 'Location! Location! Location! Choral Absence and Dramatic Space in Seneca's Troades' (27-51), argues that choral exits and entries contributed to the establishing of changing locations in the play. The editor, Harrison, in 'Semper Ego Auditor Tantum? Performance and Physical Setting of Seneca's Plays' (137-49), argues that Seneca composed for the odeum or small covered theatre. The producer of the Xavier performance, Gyllian Raby, describes the evolution of her production in 'Seneca's Trojan Women: Identity and Survival in the Aftermath of War' (173-95); while an insight into a very different modern performance is provided by Katharina Volk, who played Andromacha in W. Stroh's production of Troas (sic) in Latin at Munich in 1993 ('Putting Andromacha on Stage: A Performer's Perspective' (197-208)). None of these really tackles the anti-staging arguments in detail; though one should not complain too much that a book forces one to think for oneself.
A Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome on Screen, 2017
A Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome on Screen, 2017
Brill’s Companion to the Classics, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, 2017
Brill’s Companion to the Classics, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany explores how political propagan... more Brill’s Companion to the Classics, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany explores how political propaganda constantly manipulated and reinvented the legacy of ancient Greece and Rome in order to create consensus and historical legitimation for the Fascist and National Socialist dictatorships.
Ramus, 1980
The first poem in a new poetry book is of paramount importance. As the first that a reader — or b... more The first poem in a new poetry book is of paramount importance. As the first that a reader — or browser — would see, it acted as a virtual preface by giving some indication of the content and style of the whole collection. While the initial poems in books of elegies and satires have often enough been examined for their ‘programmatic’ content, the function of the first of Horace's odes is less clear.
The Journal of New Zealand Studies, 2014
The Memorial Window in the Hunter Building at Victoria University offers interesting insights int... more The Memorial Window in the Hunter Building at Victoria University offers interesting insights into the commemoration of the Great War in New Zealand. The Frederick Ellis design shows strong Anglican Christian iconography, in line with dominant traditions at the College up to the war. The Gallipoli campaign also features much more prominently than the Western Front, since it could be portrayed as a holy crusade against the Turk. As time passes, the ANZAC experience becomes part of the wider New Zealand mythology, but the religious conflict is expunged.
Ramus, 1989
The second half of the first century A.D. is the age of the senatorial poet at Rome. While previo... more The second half of the first century A.D. is the age of the senatorial poet at Rome. While previously Rome's poets frequently were outsiders adopted into the system (Vergil and Horace in particular come to mind in this connection), now members of the inner circles of government could actively display their literary talents and preferences. There can be little doubt that the reign of Nero is mainly responsible for this state of affairs — there is a revival of Roman poetry such as has not been seen since the age of Augustus, evidenced by the diverse works of Lucan, Persius, and even the emperor himself. Previous emperors had dabbled in poetry, but as hardly anything more than a hobby. Now the most important personages in the Roman state could openly engage in creative writing. This trend, beginning under Nero, continues in the Flavian Age, many of whose most prominent members, including the founder of the dynasty himself, originally came to the forefront under the last of the Juli...
The Classical Quarterly, 2017
Roman conflict with Parthia in the mid first century for control of Armenia and Domitius Corbulo&... more Roman conflict with Parthia in the mid first century for control of Armenia and Domitius Corbulo's exploits in the East, culminating in the Parthian candidate for the throne, Tiridates, receiving his diadem from the hands of the Emperor Nero in Rome, have frequently been studied for what they reveal about military and diplomatic manoeuvres under the later Julio-Claudians. The historiographical investigation of our main source, Tacitus, particularly through comparison with the fragments of Cassius Dio, is also important for the light this sheds on the Roman senator's methods. The intention of this paper is to draw attention to the complexity of Tacitus’ account by indicating his use of multiple and sometimes contradictory viewpoints in his narration of Caesennius Paetus’ unsuccessful Armenian campaign of a.d. 62–63 (Ann. 15.1–17) and to highlight an unrecognized echoing of his predecessor Livy by the historian. The examination of a text that is as elusive as it is allusive wi...
The Classical Review, 2014
Ancient Greek Women in Film, 2013
Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica, 1986
Page 1. Somnus and Amor: the Play of Statius, Silvae 5,4 Arthur J. Pomeroy No piece of Statius&am... more Page 1. Somnus and Amor: the Play of Statius, Silvae 5,4 Arthur J. Pomeroy No piece of Statius' poetry is as familiar as Somnus. Its brevity appeals to the compilers of anthologies and its elegance rewards the attention of the browser. ...
Phoenix, 1992
Page 1. TRIMALCHIO AS DELICIAE ARTHUR J. POMEROY WHEN TRIMALCHIO'S BANQUET is resumed with n... more Page 1. TRIMALCHIO AS DELICIAE ARTHUR J. POMEROY WHEN TRIMALCHIO'S BANQUET is resumed with new food and attendants, a particularly attractive slave-boy engages the attention of the master of the household (Sat. 74.8). ...
International Journal of the Classical Tradition, 2011
Page 1. The production of edited volumes devoted to individual films or television se-ries about ... more Page 1. The production of edited volumes devoted to individual films or television se-ries about the ancient world (eg Gladiator, Troy, Spartacus, Fall of the Roman Empire, or HBO's Rome) has become a significant industry in the burgeoning field of classical reception studies. ...
The Classical Review, 2005
text. The idea that Pliny has deliberately included a (brief ) discussion of portraiture as a way... more text. The idea that Pliny has deliberately included a (brief ) discussion of portraiture as a way of making his own work more memorable seems a little forced, since the actual passage is so short. However, if there was any doubt at all about the cohesiveness of the project, C. demonstrates her strong control over the material, by weaving it all together very deftly in the conclusion. Pliny is revealed as the author of empire, taking a Greek tradition of learning and turning it into a vehicle for Roman conquest. This book, then, o¶ers a neat way of dealing with Pliny’s huge work and of presenting it as more than just the sum of its diverse and lengthy parts. From this point of view, C. does an excellent job of inserting Pliny more squarely into the wider concerns of contemporary scholarship. A possible criticism would be that there are some big, di ̧cult, and potentially messy questions lurking beneath the surface here that have been suppressed for the sake of neatness—but how does one author go about dealing with everything?
The Classical Review, 2002
Donna Hurley continues her services to Suetonian studies with this edition of the Life of Claudiu... more Donna Hurley continues her services to Suetonian studies with this edition of the Life of Claudius in the Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics series, which should win favour with students and scholars. There is a brief introduction to Suetonius, his work, and Claudius’ history; the Latin text, based on Ihm’s Teubner edition; nearly 200 pages of commentary (for twenty-μve pages of text), covering historical and linguistic matters; bibliography; three indices: Latin words, general topics (both historical and syntactical), and personal names; and two stemmatic diagrams. H.’s treatment of Suetonius is generally conservative and slightly apologetic. In the introduction she situates him as last in the line of historians who narrated the events of Claudius’ reign. This may usefully be contrasted with the more positive depiction of the biographer’s work as a meditation on imperial rule presented in Catharine Edwards’s Oxford World’s Classics translation (2000). The Latin text is reliable (but note a rare misprint at 38.1, where facientes should be corrected to facientis, correctly printed in the notes). Only at 20.1 is the choice of text debatable. H. prints opera magna potiusque [potius quam MSS] necessaria quam multa perfecit sed vel praecipua, regarding the chapter titles for Claudius’ public e¶orts as non-judgemental. However, keeping potius quam and deleting the second quam gives better sense: the fact that Suetonius needs to o¶er a selection suggests that the works attempted were indeed many, and the following description of the projects as ones which had been abandoned by previous emperors, now chosen for the emperor’s gloria, suggests that these were not essential. The commentary provides detailed historical background and considerable assistance to the student translating the Latin. H. is particularly good at emphasizing the nuances of connective particles, regularly referring to OLD entries and sections. Sometimes this borders on the pedagogical, with single English renderings and instructions to translate in a particular manner, rather than explication of the range of meaning of Latin terms. For instance, 28 ‘tantum . . . acquirere et rapere’ is glossed as ‘to amass such wealth by plunder’, following the hendiadys of Rolfe’s Loeb translation. Edwards’s ‘to appropriate and embezzle’, however, suggests a greater shading of legality in the activities of Claudius’ freedmen. Still, students approaching Suetonius for the μrst time will appreciate the assistance. As always, there will be disagreements over the interpretation of passages. In 1.2, describing Drusus as the μrst to sail the North Sea, the importance of primacy as a claim to fame might be more strongly underlined. Such an emphasis on creating precedents may also lie behind Claudius’ apparently inept assertion that he was the μrst Claudian to have adopted an outsider into his clan (39.2). In the same passage, the apparition of the German woman who warns Drusus to turn back is explained as speaking Latin as the mouthpiece of patria or Roma. But Africa also speaks Latin to Curtius Rufus (Plin. Ep. 7.27.2). 3.2: Livia’s preference for written communication with Claudius whenever possible is explained as an epistolary habit in the royal family (cf. Augustus’ letter to Livia in 4). Rather, it re·ects the aristocratic practice of avoiding speaking to one’s inferiors (Tac. Ann. 13.23.2). In 15.1 (‘decurias rerum actu’), actu is rightly explained as dative of purpose, but the unusual dative ending in -u (see Aul. Gell. NA 4.16.5–9) needs comment. The di ̧cult passage about the juror who is 22