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Author: Anthony A. Barrett Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0192596764 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 230
Book Description
There can be few historical figures who have made such a powerful impact on the popular imagination as the Roman emperor Caligula (died AD 41). Yet an accurate reconstruction of his life and reign largely eludes us. This is paradoxical. The source material is plentiful, even lavish, by the standards of antiquity. The problem lies not so much in the quantity of evidence available, but in its quality. For our information we are obliged to draw on ancient accounts that can be colourful and wonderfully entertaining but have a flexible notion of historical truth and often seem to border on fiction. The consequence is that there is hardly a detail that the modern historian can present without deep reservations about its reliability. A biography of Caligula, in the regular modern sense of the word, is an insurmountable task, and can be at best be a summary personal interpretation by an individual historian of a mass of incoherent and often inconsistent material. Where does this leave the serious general reader? This book approaches Caligula from a quite different angle, by presenting the reader with the raw material of the ancient sources. It provides over 300 translated passages of texts, taken mainly from ancient writers, but also from coins and inscriptions. The translations are accompanied by extensive introductions and notes. These are tailored to the non-specialist, and intended to help such readers navigate material that is often contradictory, sometimes downright incredible, and helps to place events and institutions in their historical contexts. The colourful and exotic incidents are still here, but are presented in a context that will help the reader gain a more sophisticated understanding of how scholars try to reconstruct events of the past. This approach allows the reader to tackle head-on the stark reality that what we read in our sources is not necessarily the truth.
Author: Anthony A. Barrett Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0192596764 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 230
Book Description
There can be few historical figures who have made such a powerful impact on the popular imagination as the Roman emperor Caligula (died AD 41). Yet an accurate reconstruction of his life and reign largely eludes us. This is paradoxical. The source material is plentiful, even lavish, by the standards of antiquity. The problem lies not so much in the quantity of evidence available, but in its quality. For our information we are obliged to draw on ancient accounts that can be colourful and wonderfully entertaining but have a flexible notion of historical truth and often seem to border on fiction. The consequence is that there is hardly a detail that the modern historian can present without deep reservations about its reliability. A biography of Caligula, in the regular modern sense of the word, is an insurmountable task, and can be at best be a summary personal interpretation by an individual historian of a mass of incoherent and often inconsistent material. Where does this leave the serious general reader? This book approaches Caligula from a quite different angle, by presenting the reader with the raw material of the ancient sources. It provides over 300 translated passages of texts, taken mainly from ancient writers, but also from coins and inscriptions. The translations are accompanied by extensive introductions and notes. These are tailored to the non-specialist, and intended to help such readers navigate material that is often contradictory, sometimes downright incredible, and helps to place events and institutions in their historical contexts. The colourful and exotic incidents are still here, but are presented in a context that will help the reader gain a more sophisticated understanding of how scholars try to reconstruct events of the past. This approach allows the reader to tackle head-on the stark reality that what we read in our sources is not necessarily the truth.
Author: Anthony A. Barrett Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198854560 Category : Languages : en Pages : 230
Book Description
There can be few historical figures who have made such a powerful impact on the popular imagination as the Roman emperor Caligula (died AD 41). Yet an accurate reconstruction of his life and reign largely eludes us. This is paradoxical. The source material is plentiful, even lavish, by the standards of antiquity. The problem lies not so much in the quantity of evidence available, but in its quality. For our information we are obliged to draw on ancient accounts that can be colourful and wonderfully entertaining but have a flexible notion of historical truth and often seem to border on fiction. The consequence is that there is hardly a detail that the modern historian can present without deep reservations about its reliability. A biography of Caligula, in the regular modern sense of the word, is an insurmountable task, and can be at best be a summary personal interpretation by an individual historian of a mass of incoherent and often inconsistent material. Where does this leave the serious general reader? This book approaches Caligula from a quite different angle, by presenting the reader with the raw material of the ancient sources. It provides over 300 translated passages of texts, taken mainly from ancient writers, but also from coins and inscriptions. The translations are accompanied by extensive introductions and notes. These are tailored to the non-specialist, and intended to help such readers navigate material that is often contradictory, sometimes downright incredible, and helps to place events and institutions in their historical contexts. The colourful and exotic incidents are still here, but are presented in a context that will help the reader gain a more sophisticated understanding of how scholars try to reconstruct events of the past. This approach allows the reader to tackle head-on the stark reality that what we read in our sources is not necessarily the truth.
Author: Anthony A. Barrett Publisher: Yale University Press ISBN: 9780300074291 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 372
Book Description
Was the Roman emperor Caligula really the depraved despot of popular legend? In this book -- the first major reassessment of Caligula's life and career in over fifty. years -- Anthony A. Barrett draws on archaeological, numismatic, and literary evidence to evaluate this infamous figure in the context of the system that gave him absolute power.Authoritative ... highly readable. -- Bernard Knox, Atlantic MonthlyAn excellent study of the brief reign of Caligula....Barrett is a highly competent historian and clear writer, and the intrinsic interest of his subject is so great that the tougher kind of reader, as well as the scholar, will study this book with pleasure as well as with instruction. -- Hugh Lloyd-Jones, New York Review of BooksBarrett's Caligula fills a long-standing void in providing a balanced, thoroughly documented, and persuasive assessment of Caligula's life and career. This eminently readable book's value is further enhanced by the illustrations and by an appendix discussing Caligula's statuary and coinage. It will prove a welcome addition to the library of anyone with interests in Roman history and culture. -- Joseph J. Hughes, Classical WorldI do not think that any scholar interested in the Julio-Claudian period or any classics or ancient history library could be without this book. Very well written, it should also be popular with the general public. -- Colin M. Wells
Author: Anthony A. Barrett Publisher: Princeton University Press ISBN: 1400881102 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 331
Book Description
Nero's reign (AD 54–68) witnessed some of the most memorable events in Roman history, such as the rebellion of Boudica and the first persecution of the Christians—not to mention Nero's murder of his mother, his tyranny and extravagance, and his suicide, which plunged the empire into civil war. The Emperor Nero gathers into a single collection the major sources for Nero's life and rule, providing students of Nero and ancient Rome with the most authoritative and accessible reader there is. The Emperor Nero features clear, contemporary translations of key literary sources along with translations and explanations of representative inscriptions and coins issued under Nero. The informative introduction situates the emperor's reign within the history of the Roman Empire, and the book's concise headnotes to chapters place the source material in historical and biographical context. Passages are accompanied by detailed notes and are organized around events, such as the Great Fire of Rome, or by topic, such as Nero's relationships with his wives. Complex events like the war with Parthia—split up among several chapters in Tacitus's Annals—are brought together in continuous narratives, making this the most comprehensible and user-friendly sourcebook on Nero available. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.
Author: Anthony A. Barrett Publisher: Princeton University Press ISBN: 0691156514 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 330
Book Description
Nero's reign (AD 54–68) witnessed some of the most memorable events in Roman history, such as the rebellion of Boudica and the first persecution of the Christians—not to mention Nero's murder of his mother, his tyranny and extravagance, and his suicide, which plunged the empire into civil war. The Emperor Nero gathers into a single collection the major sources for Nero's life and rule, providing students of Nero and ancient Rome with the most authoritative and accessible reader there is. The Emperor Nero features clear, contemporary translations of key literary sources along with translations and explanations of representative inscriptions and coins issued under Nero. The informative introduction situates the emperor's reign within the history of the Roman Empire, and the book's concise headnotes to chapters place the source material in historical and biographical context. Passages are accompanied by detailed notes and are organized around events, such as the Great Fire of Rome, or by topic, such as Nero's relationships with his wives. Complex events like the war with Parthia—split up among several chapters in Tacitus's Annals—are brought together in continuous narratives, making this the most comprehensible and user-friendly sourcebook on Nero available.
Author: Geoff W. Adams Publisher: Universal-Publishers ISBN: 1599424231 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 307
Book Description
The Roman Emperor Gaius 'Caligula' and his Hellenistic Aspirations examines one of the most notorious of Roman Emperors in light of his rather unconventional upbringing in the Eastern Provinces of the Roman Empire. The study has sought to use the ancient evidence in order to reassess the context in which the young Gaius Caligula was raised particularly in relation to the influence of his father, Germanicus.
Author: Anthony A. Barrett Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1134609876 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 437
Book Description
Of all Roman emperors none, with the possible exception of Nero, surpasses Caligula's reputation for infamy. But was Caligula really the mad despot and depraved monster of popular legend or the victim of hostile ancient historians? In this study of Caligula's life, reign and violent death, Anthony A. Barrett draws on the archaeological and numismatic evidence to supplement the later written record. In Professor Barrett's view, the mystery of Caligula's reign is not why he descended into autocracy, but how any intelligent Roman could have expected a different outcome - to grant total power to an inexperienced and arrogant young man was a recipe for disaster. This book, scholarly and accessible, offers a careful reconstruction of Caligula's life and times, and a shrewd assessment of his historical importance.
Author: The History Hour Publisher: Independently Published ISBN: 9781798627099 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 162
Book Description
Marcus Aurelius was an outstanding person and Emperor of Ancient Rome. He was far more concerned with ways of thinking than with warfare. Being a small boy he applied himself to task with education. Marcus preferred others over himself, putting his own welfare aside for the good of other people. His nature is obvious in his kindness and consideration for others; but his sharp intelligence is also evident in his writing and in his excellence in jurisprudence. People called him a Great Emperor and a Philosopher King. Inside you will read about... The Young Marcus Training in Oratory Antoninus's reign Antoninus's death Philosopher turned Emperor Marcus and Lucius's reign The Slumbering Tiber The War with the Parthians The Antonine plague The youngest Consul in Roman history The End of the Pax Romana And much more! This book is a chronological biography of his life. Its aim is to not only describe the historical events of his life, but also to delve into his character. It explores who the man really was, especially the contrast between the high station thrust upon him and the simplicity he longed for. Caligula was born into the first ruling family of the Roman Empire, conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He is described as a noble and moderate emperor during the first six months of his rule. After this, the sources about the reign of Caligula focus upon his cruelty, sadism, extravagance, and sexual perversion, presenting him as an insane tyrant. Inside you'll read about The first Dynasty of Rome The new Emperor takes the throne A changed man A very un-Roman Emperor It's all true...or is it? Poison pens Lessons to learn Good qualities Famous for bad behavior And much more! Caligula was assassinated because of a conspiracy by officers of the Praetorian Guard, senators, and courtiers. On the day of the assassination of Caligula, the Praetorians declared Caligula's uncle, Claudius, the next Roman emperor. Although the Julio-Claudian dynasty continued to rule the empire until the fall of his nephew Nero, Caligula's death marked the official end of the Julii Caesares in the male line.
Author: Anthony A. Barrett
Author: Anthony A. Barrett
Author: Anthony A. Barrett
Author: Anthony A. Barrett
Author: Anthony A. Barrett
Author: Anthony A. Barrett
Author: Geoff W. Adams
Author: Anthony A. Barrett
Author: Aloys Winterling
Author: The History Hour
Author: