Book Review: Feldherr (A.) (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Historians (original) (raw)
Related papers
[ARTIGO] Exemplary History: Competition in Roman Historiography
História da Historiografia: International Journal of Theory and History of Historiography, 2019
A great part of the perceived value of history in the ancient world was connected with its educational function. In one way or another, it was regarded as a beneficial guide to conduct or as magistra vitae (Cicero, De Oratore II, 36). To give political instruction and advice on the one hand (Polybius, I, 1, 2), and to provide exempla, were two major aims of history. This paper will argue that by narrating the history of the past, historians not only judged past actions or people, and provided useful moral examples to their contemporaries, but also stimulated a type of competition between past and present times. By recording good examples to be imitated and bad ones to be avoided, the Roman historians promoted the code of values of the maiores for their own time, fostered action and, to a certain extent, became significant indicators to Roman society. This competitive aspect of Roman historiography is illustrated here in three distinct categories, analysing the work of major Roman historians: Sallust, Livy and Tacitus. https://www.historiadahistoriografia.com.br/revista/article/view/1398/788
Exemplary History: Competition in Roman Historiography
História da Historiografia: International Journal of Theory and History of Historiography, 2019
A great part of the perceived value of history in the ancient world was connected with its educational function. In one way or another, it was regarded as a beneficial guide to conduct or as magistra vitae (Cicero, De Oratore II, 36). To give political instruction and advice on the one hand (Polybius, I, 1, 2), and to provide exempla, were two major aims of history. This paper will argue that by narrating the history of the past, historians not only judged past actions or people, and provided useful moral examples to their contemporaries, but also stimulated a type of competition between past and present times. By recording good examples to be imitated and bad ones to be avoided, the Roman historians promoted the code of values of the maiores for their own time, fostered action and, to a certain extent, became significant indicators to Roman society. This competitive aspect of Roman historiography is illustrated here in three distinct categories, analysing the work of major Roman hi...
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Historian: The Eighteenth Century in the Roman Historical Tradition
For students and scholars of the Roman Republic, modern scholarship on the subject starts with the various works of Mommsen in the late nineteenth century. Any scholarship before Mommsen is ignored, or dismissed as not worthy of consideration, and lies neglected and unread in the special collections of our great libraries. If any scholars from the period before Theodor Mommsen are known, then it would be Edward Gibbon and Barthold Niebuhr. Yet this view automatically dismisses some three hundred years of scholarship on the subject and has resulted in two serious side effects. Firstly, the vast majority of Roman historians have no knowledge of the works that preceded Mommsen and therefore are completely unaware whether they are replicating material and approaches that have already been examined. Secondly, this scholarship has been allowed to be classified as fodder for classical traditionalists or those who work in the oddly-named field of 'reception'. By their very nature these classifications have served to cut off this scholarship from the mainstream field of historical study. This paper will trace the development of the genre of Roman historical scholarship in the eighteenth century and argue that it formed the bedrock of the modern discipline. Furthermore, it will act as a guide for the modern Roman historian to the various works that exist in this field and attempt to introduce them in terms of subject matter and give some indication of the overall value and usefulness of the works.
Roman Historiography: An Introduction to its Development and Basic Aspects, 2011
Roman Historiography: An Introduction to its Basic Aspects and Development presents a comprehensive introduction to the development of Roman historical writings in both Greek and Latin, from the early annalists to Orosius and Procopius of Byzantium. •Provides an accessible survey of every historical writer of significance in the Roman world •Traces the growth of Christian historiography under the influence of its pagan adversaries •Offers valuable insight into current scholarly trends on Roman historiography •Includes a user-friendly bibliography, catalog of authors and editions, and index •Selected by Choice as a 2013 Outstanding Academic Title