Search results

"Coming to terms with the rhetorical arts of antiquity necessarily illuminates our own ideas of public discourse and the habits of speech to which they have led. Tacitus wrote the Dialogus at a time (ca. 100 CE) when intense scrutiny of the history, the definitions, and the immediate relevance of public speech were all being challenged and refashioned by a host of vibrant intellects and ambitious practitioners. This book challenges the notion that Tacitus sought to explain the decline of oratory under the Principate. Rather, from examination of the dynamics of argument in the dialogue and the underlying literary traditions there emerges a sophisticated consideration of eloquentia in the Roman Empire. Tacitus emulates Cicero's legacy and challenges his position at the top of Rome's oratorical canon. He further shows that eloquentia is a means by which to compete with the power of the Principate"--

This book contains the mature fruit of Hugo Grotius' political thought on church and state. It was finished in 1617, but Grotius' arrest prevented publication. For the first time Grotius' own Latin text is printed here, from two manuscripts. It is demonstrated that the claims made by the publisher of the first edition (1647), the source of all subsequent editions, are false. The first critical edition is provided with an extensive introduction, an English translation, a commentary, and elaborate indices. In an appendix texts concerning its context and genesis are printed. An earlier draft of De imperio was recently discovered. All material from this unpublished work has been integrated here. This fundamental, theoretical text, written for an international public, anticipates many views from later Grotian work. The print edition is available as a set of two volumes (9789004120273)

This book contains the mature fruit of Hugo Grotius' political thought on church and state. It was finished in 1617, but Grotius' arrest prevented publication. For the first time Grotius' own Latin text is printed here, from two manuscripts. It is demonstrated that the claims made by the publisher of the first edition (1647), the source of all subsequent editions, are false. The first critical edition is provided with an extensive introduction, an English translation, a commentary, and elaborate indices. In an appendix texts concerning its context and genesis are printed. An earlier draft of De imperio was recently discovered. All material from this unpublished work has been integrated here. This fundamental, theoretical text, written for an international public, anticipates many views from later Grotian work. The print edition is available as a set of two volumes (9789004120273)

The perfect guide for anyone who wishes to understand the Latin inscriptions they discover on their travels, and gain a fresh insight into the lives of everyday Romans. Latin inscriptions can appear daunting - a jumble of letters without any structure or meaning. However, once their formulaic style is explained, most are easy to read. Requiring no prior knowledge of Latin, this book will teach readers how to decipher inscriptions and will demonstrate how even the smallest detail scan help us to reconstruct the daily life of ordinary Romans. Whilst surviving literature often relates only to the lives of those wealthy enough to afford books, inscriptions were texts intended to be seen and used by all. As a result, they shed light on the lives of those less visible in the archaeological record - the poor,women and slaves. Illustrated with the best examples of inscriptions from the British Museum's Roman collection, this book will explore what it meant to put up a public inscription and how they became standardised to ensure Romans from all over the Empire could read them

The database Cretan Institutional Inscriptions was created as part of the PhD research project in Ancient Heritage Studies Kretikai Politeiai: Cretan Institutions from VII to I century BC, carried out at the University of Venice Ca' Foscari by Irene Vagionakis from 2016 to 2019, under the supervision of Claudia Antonetti and Gabriel Bodard. The research project aimed at collecting the epigraphic sources related to the institutional elements of the many political entities of Crete, with a view to highlighting the specificity of each context in the period between the rise of the poleis and the Roman conquest of the island. The main component of the database consists of the epigraphic collection of the 600 inscriptions constituting the core of the documentary base of the study, for each of which an XML edition compliant with the TEI EpiDoc international standard was created. Each EpiDoc edition includes a descriptive and a bibliographic lemma, the text of the inscription, a selective apparatus criticus and a commentary focused on the institutional data offered by the document. In addition to the epigraphic collection, the database includes a collection of the main related literary sources, a catalogue of the attested Cretan institutions (assemblies, boards, officials, associations, civic subdivisions, social statuses, age classes, months, festivities and other celebrations, institutional practices, institutional instruments, public spaces) and a catalogue of the political entities of Crete (poleis, koina, dependent communities, extra-urban sanctuaries, hegemonic alliances). Data and SW available at https://github.com/IreneVagionakis/CretanInscriptions

Timeless wisdom on controlling anger in personal life and politics from the Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman SenecaIn his essay "On Anger" (De Ira), the Roman Stoic thinker Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD) argues that anger is the most destructive passion: "No plague has cost the human race more dear." This was proved by his own life, which he barely preserved under one wrathful emperor, Caligula, and lost under a second, Nero. This splendid new translation of essential selections from "On Anger," presented with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, offers readers a timeless guide to avoiding and managing anger. It vividly illustrates why the emotion is so dangerous and why controlling it would bring vast benefits to individuals and society.Drawing on his great arsenal of rhetoric, including historical examples (especially from Caligula's horrific reign), anecdotes, quips, and soaring flights of eloquence, Seneca builds his case against anger with mounting intensity. Like a fire-and-brimstone preacher, he paints a grim picture of the moral perils to which anger exposes us, tracing nearly all the world's evils to this one toxic source. But he then uplifts us with a beatific vision of the alternate path, a path of forgiveness and compassion that resonates with Christian and Buddhist ethics.Seneca's thoughts on anger have never been more relevant than today, when uncivil discourse has increasingly infected public debate. Whether seeking personal growth or political renewal, readers will find, in Seneca's wisdom, a valuable antidote to the ills of an angry age