The Roman Hannibal

The Roman Hannibal PDF Author: Claire Stocks
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 1781380287
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Get Book Here

Book Description
Silius Italicus' Punica, the longest surviving epic in Latin literature, has seen a resurgence of interest among scholars in recent years. A celebration of Rome's triumph over Hannibal and Carthage during the second Punic war, Silius' poem presents a plethora of familiar names to its readers: Fabius Maximus, Claudius Marcellus, Scipio Africanus and, of course, Rome's 'ultimate enemy' - Hannibal. Where most recent scholarship on the Punica has focused its attention of the problematic portrayal of Scipio Africanus as a hero for Rome, this book shifts the focus to Carthage and offers a new reading of Hannibal's place in Silius' epic, and in Rome's literary culture at large. Celebrated and demonised in equal measure, Hannibal became something of an anti-hero for Rome; a man who acquired mythic status, and was condemned by Rome's authors for his supposed greed and cruelty, yet admired for his military acumen. For the first time this book provides a comprehensive overview of this multi-faceted Hannibal as he appears in the Punica and suggests that Silius' portrayal of him can be read as the culmination to Rome's centuries-long engagement with the Carthaginian in its literature. Through detailed consideration of internal focalisation, Silius' Hannibal is revealed to be a man striving to create an eternal legacy, becoming the Hannibal whom a Roman, and a modern reader, would recognise. The works of Polybius, Livy, Virgil, and the post Virgilian epicists all have a bit-part in this book, which aims to show that Silius Italicus' Punica is as much an example of how Rome remembered its past, as it is a text striving to join Rome's epic canon.

The Roman Hannibal

The Roman Hannibal PDF Author: Claire Stocks
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 1781380287
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Get Book Here

Book Description
Silius Italicus' Punica, the longest surviving epic in Latin literature, has seen a resurgence of interest among scholars in recent years. A celebration of Rome's triumph over Hannibal and Carthage during the second Punic war, Silius' poem presents a plethora of familiar names to its readers: Fabius Maximus, Claudius Marcellus, Scipio Africanus and, of course, Rome's 'ultimate enemy' - Hannibal. Where most recent scholarship on the Punica has focused its attention of the problematic portrayal of Scipio Africanus as a hero for Rome, this book shifts the focus to Carthage and offers a new reading of Hannibal's place in Silius' epic, and in Rome's literary culture at large. Celebrated and demonised in equal measure, Hannibal became something of an anti-hero for Rome; a man who acquired mythic status, and was condemned by Rome's authors for his supposed greed and cruelty, yet admired for his military acumen. For the first time this book provides a comprehensive overview of this multi-faceted Hannibal as he appears in the Punica and suggests that Silius' portrayal of him can be read as the culmination to Rome's centuries-long engagement with the Carthaginian in its literature. Through detailed consideration of internal focalisation, Silius' Hannibal is revealed to be a man striving to create an eternal legacy, becoming the Hannibal whom a Roman, and a modern reader, would recognise. The works of Polybius, Livy, Virgil, and the post Virgilian epicists all have a bit-part in this book, which aims to show that Silius Italicus' Punica is as much an example of how Rome remembered its past, as it is a text striving to join Rome's epic canon.

Representing the Dynasty in Flavian Rome

Representing the Dynasty in Flavian Rome PDF Author: Jonathan Davies
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019888303X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 255

Get Book Here

Book Description
Representing the Dynasty in Flavian Rome investigates the problem of contemporary historiography and regime representation in Flavian Rome through a close study of a text not usually read for such purposes but which has obvious promise for a study of this theme, the Jewish War of Flavius Josephus. Having surveyed the evolution of our conception of Josephus' relationship to Flavian power, taken a broad account of issues of political expression and regime representation in Flavian Rome outside Josephus and examined questions relating to the structure and date of the work, Davies provides a series of thematically-focused readings of the three senior members of the Flavian family, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, as represented by their contemporary and client Josephus. Key topics explored include the level of independence of Josephus' vision, his work's relationship to how the regime is depicted in other contemporary sources, how Josephus makes the Flavians serve his own agenda (which is distinct from the heavy focus of much previous scholarship on how Josephus served their agenda), and the viability and usefulness of certain types of reading practices relating to figured critique which have recently become influential in Josephan scholarship. The book offers a new approach to Josephus' relationship to the Flavian Dynasty and sheds new light on contemporary historiography and political expression in the Early Principate.

Justice as an Aspect of the Polis Idea in Solon's Political Poems

Justice as an Aspect of the Polis Idea in Solon's Political Poems PDF Author: Joseph A. Almeida
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9047402138
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 307

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book examines the meaning of justice or dike in the political poems of Solon from a new interpretative perspective. The first two chapters argue that neither standard historical nor literary treatments have provided an adequate foundation for understanding Solon’s dike. The main defect lies in an inability to connect Solon’s concrete political work with his poetic perceptions. The book’s central proposal is that the polis idea, from new classical archaeology, provides an objective standard for an interpretation of Solon’s dike, which remedies this defect. The third chapter sets forth the polis idea, which becomes the measure for an examination, in the final two chapters, of Solon’s view of dike. The book thus exhibits an interdisciplinary approach to Archaic poetry.

Lucian's Science Fiction Novel True Histories: Interpretation and Commentary

Lucian's Science Fiction Novel True Histories: Interpretation and Commentary PDF Author: Georgiadou
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004351507
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is the first substantial commentary on Lucian's Verae Historiae ("True Histories"), a fantastic journey narrative considered the earliest surviving example of Science Fiction in the Western tradition. The Introduction situates the work in the context of Lucian's oeuvre, especially his preoccupation with distinguishing truth from fiction and exposing the lies of philosophers. In their commentary, the editors trace the sources and the meaning of the numerous intertextual allusions and parodies of philosophers, poets, historians and paradoxographers. The Verae Historiae emerges from this scrutiny as a remarkably complex text with some very "modern" concerns: it problematizes the act of reading, allegorical interpretation, authorial reliability, and the validity of cultural norms and literary genres.

The Near East under Roman Rule

The Near East under Roman Rule PDF Author: B.H. Isaac
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004351531
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 504

Get Book Here

Book Description
The studies in this collection deal with a variety of subjects. Their focus is the Roman Empire in the East, the Roman army, Judaea in the Roman period, and Jewish history. Inscriptions are published in them and literary sources discussed. First, Judaea in the period before the arrival of the Romans as well as under Roman rule forms the centre of attention. Here, articles on specific documents are presented and historical problems discussed ranging from the Seleucid period to the Later Roman Empire. The second part of the book contains studies of the wider area and the third part is concerned with the Roman army, its organisation and aims in the Frontier areas. Many of these papers are hard to find and it is particularly valuable to have all of them together and logically arranged in one volume. Moreover extensive discussions of recent publications and newly published material have been added here.

The Greek World of Apuleius

The Greek World of Apuleius PDF Author: Gerald Sandy
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004330321
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Get Book Here

Book Description
The first three chapters of this book elucidate the scholastic goals of both classical cultures during the Roman Imperial period. Apuleius' works share the stage in these chapters with representatives of the second-century Greek cultural paradigm. They define patterns of discourse and fit selected examples of analogous Apuleian strategies into the broader cultural framework. Subsequent chapters focus closely on the complete Apuleian corpus under the general headings of Apuleius in the roles of orator, philosopher and novelist. Two of Apuleius' philosophical works and his novel the Golden Ass provide an unparalleled opportunity to analyze the methods of translation and adaptation employed by the major Latin writer of the second half of the second century.

Theatrum Arbitri

Theatrum Arbitri PDF Author: C. Panayotakis
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900432951X
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book Here

Book Description
Theatrum Arbitri is a literary study dealing with the possible influence of Roman comic drama (comedies of Plautus and Terence, theatre of the Greek and Roman mimes, and fabula Atellana) on the surviving fragments of Petronius' Satyrica. The theatrical assessment of this novel is carried out at the levels of plot-construction, characterization, language, and reading of the text as if it were the narrative equivalent of a farcical staged piece with the theatrical structure of a play produced before an audience. The analysis follows the order of each of the scenes in the novel. The reader will also find a brief general commentary on the less discussed scenes of the Satyrica, and a comprehensive account of the theatre of the mimes and its main features.

A Companion to the Greek Lyric Poets

A Companion to the Greek Lyric Poets PDF Author: Douglas E. Gerber
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004099449
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Get Book Here

Book Description
This handbook is a guide to the reading of elegiac, iambic, personal and public poetry of early Greece. Intended as a teaching manual or as an aid for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, it presents the major scholarly debates affecting the reading of these poetic texts, such as the effect of genre, the question of the poetic persona, or the impact of modern literary theory.

A Commentary on the Letters of M. Cornelius Fronto

A Commentary on the Letters of M. Cornelius Fronto PDF Author: Hout
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004351302
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 743

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is the first commentary on the letters of Marcus Cornelius Fronto (c. 90-95 - c. 167). It aims at an extensive grammatical, stylistic and historical interpretation of the letters and the ancient testimonies on Fronto. The author demonstrates where Fronto stands in Latin literature; hence the numerous quotations of parallel, similar and dissentient passages from Fronto and other writers. The letters are written in a pure, simple style, with a great deal of colloquialisms and many a post-classical turn of phrase. The many archaisms show how Fronto as a philologist had a comprehensive knowledge of pre-Cicero Latin. This commentary, based on the Teubner-edition by the author (Leipzig 1988), offers a thorough explanation of Fronto's style and language, e.g. of his archaisms and colloquialisms, identification of the persons mentioned, and the chronology of the letters. Seven elaborate indices complete this book.

A Seleukid Prosopography and Gazetteer

A Seleukid Prosopography and Gazetteer PDF Author: John D. Grainger
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004330100
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 852

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Seleukid kingdom was one of the greatest states of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to India; it is also one of the least known. This reference work lists all the people whose names are known who lived in that kingdom, classifying them into rulers, officials and subjects, and in each case noting their activity. In addition all the foreigners whose lives affected the Seleukid state are listed. The Gazetteer lists the places which were included in the kingdom, classified as regions, including provinces and peoples, or settlements, whether cities or villages, with a description of their place in its history. In addition the institutions of the kingdom, the social and political glue which made it work, are noted and briefly described.