Social and Cultural History of Republican Rome

Provides students with a balanced understanding of the key aspects of the culture and society of the Roman Republic
 
A Social and Cultural History of Republican Rome is the first undergraduate textbook of its kind to concentrate on the ways Roman societal structures, family dynamics, visual arts, law, religion, and other cultural and intellectual developments contributed to Roman identity between 509 BCE and 14 CE. Drawing from a diverse range of archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, author Eric M. Orlin provides insight into the socio-cultural and intellectual issues that shaped both the Roman Republic and the wider Mediterranean world.
 
Thematically organized chapters address the practice of politics in the Roman Republic, explain the concept of patronage and the distinctions between patricians and plebeians, examine the impact of the army and militarism on Roman society, discuss the ties between Roman religion and the Roman state, and more. Chapters include maps, charts, images, and links to further readings in ancient sources and modern scholarship. Throughout the text, discussion of several recurring themes connects individual chapters while helping students critically engage the material. A Social and Cultural History of Republican Rome:
* Focuses on themes other than politics and the military, such as the position and role of women in the Roman family, the foundation of the Roman legal system, and the topography and growth of the city of Rome
* Introduces the basic materials available for the study of the Roman Republic, including written, architectural, and numismatic sources
* Features a brief narrative history of the Roman Republic and an overview of the text's methodological framework
* Establishes key points of discussion for students, using comparisons between Roman society and our modern-day world
* Encourages students to critically examine the problems and issues raised by the material
 
Covering topics in Roman history that are frequently neglected in undergraduate classrooms, A Social and Cultural History of Republican Rome is an excellent primary or supplementary textbook for courses on the Roman Republic as well as broader Roman history classes that incorporate socio-cultural issues.

List of contents

Acknowledgments viii
 
Timeline of Roman History x
 
Introduction: We Are All Historians 1
 
A Note on the Text 3
 
1 What Is Historical Thinking? 5
 
Literary Sources 9
 
Material Culture 15
 
Conclusion 22
 
Discussion Questions 23
 
2 How Do We Tell the Story? 25
 
An Outline History of the Roman Republic 28
 
Marking Time 41
 
Conclusion: Historical Narratives 43
 
Discussion Questions 45
 
3 The Building Blocks of Roman Society 47
 
Rome as a City-state 50
 
Rome as a Mediterranean Empire 61
 
Conclusion 65
 
Discussion Questions 65
 
4 The Practice of Politics 67
 
What Was the Roman Republic? 68
 
The Late Republic 79
 
Julius Caesar and the End of the Republic 84
 
Discussion Questions 85
 
5 The Roman Family 87
 
An Overview of the Roman Family 89
 
Changes in the Roman Family 98
 
Conclusion: Family Values 104
 
Discussion Questions 104
 
6 Gender and Sexuality 106
 
Sex and Gender 107
 
Sexuality 109
 
Gender Roles 117
 
Conclusions 122
 
Discussion Questions 123
 
7 Outsiders 125
 
Rome and Italy: The Early Republic 126
 
The Impact of Expansion 131
 
Conclusion 142
 
Discussion Questions 143
 
8 Religion 145
 
What Is Roman Religion? 146
 
Changes in Roman Religion 154
 
The Late Republic 161
 
Conclusion 162
 
Discussion Questions 163
 
9 Law 165
 
The Twelve Tables 166
 
The Effects of Expansion on Roman Law 173
 
The Late Republic 178
 
Conclusion 181
 
Discussion Questions 181
 
10 The Military 183
 
The Army in Early Rome 184
 
The Beginnings of an Imperial Army 195
 
Conclusion 199
 
Discussion Questions 200
 
11 The Economy 202
 
The Agricultural Basis of the Early Roman Economy 203
 
Changes in the Roman Economy 212
 
Conclusion 219
 
Discussion Questions 219
 
12 The City of Rome 221
 
The Beginnings of the City 222
 
Archaic Rome 224
 
The Late Republican Transformation 239
 
Conclusion 242
 
Discussion Questions 242
 
13 Roman Arts and Letters 244
 
The Early and Middle Republic 245
 
On the World Stage 250
 
Conclusion 259
 
Discussion Questions 262
 
Ancient Authors 264
 
Notable Figures from Roman History 266
 
Glossary 269
 
Index 273

About the author

ERIC M. ORLIN is Professor of Greek, Latin and the Ancient Mediterranean at the University of Puget Sound, Washington, USA. He is the author of Temples, Religion and Politics in the Roman Republic, Foreign Cults in Rome: Creating a Roman Empire, and many scholarly articles on Roman religion and politics.

Summary

Provides students with a balanced understanding of the key aspects of the culture and society of the Roman Republic

A Social and Cultural History of Republican Rome is the first undergraduate textbook of its kind to concentrate on the ways Roman societal structures, family dynamics, visual arts, law, religion, and other cultural and intellectual developments contributed to Roman identity between 509 BCE and 14 CE. Drawing from a diverse range of archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, author Eric M. Orlin provides insight into the socio-cultural and intellectual issues that shaped both the Roman Republic and the wider Mediterranean world.

Thematically organized chapters address the practice of politics in the Roman Republic, explain the concept of patronage and the distinctions between patricians and plebeians, examine the impact of the army and militarism on Roman society, discuss the ties between Roman religion and the Roman state, and more. Chapters include maps, charts, images, and links to further readings in ancient sources and modern scholarship. Throughout the text, discussion of several recurring themes connects individual chapters while helping students critically engage the material. A Social and Cultural History of Republican Rome:
* Focuses on themes other than politics and the military, such as the position and role of women in the Roman family, the foundation of the Roman legal system, and the topography and growth of the city of Rome
* Introduces the basic materials available for the study of the Roman Republic, including written, architectural, and numismatic sources
* Features a brief narrative history of the Roman Republic and an overview of the text's methodological framework
* Establishes key points of discussion for students, using comparisons between Roman society and our modern-day world
* Encourages students to critically examine the problems and issues raised by the material

Covering topics in Roman history that are frequently neglected in undergraduate classrooms, A Social and Cultural History of Republican Rome is an excellent primary or supplementary textbook for courses on the Roman Republic as well as broader Roman history classes that incorporate socio-cultural issues.

Product details

• Authors: Em Orlin, Eric Orlin, Eric M. Orlin, Eric M. (University of Puget Sound) Orlin
• Assisted by: Eric M Orlin (Editor), Eri Orlin (Editor), Eric Orlin (Editor), Eric M. Orlin (Editor)
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.09.2021
• EAN: 9781118357118
• ISBN: 978-1-118-35711-8
• No. of pages: 304
• Series: Wiley-Blackwell Social and Cultural Histories of the Ancient World; Wiley Blackwell Social and Cultural Histories of the Ancient World
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Geschichte, Kultur, Römische Geschichte, History, Classical Studies, Roman History, Humanistische Studien, Geschichte des Altertums u. der klassischen Antike, Ancient & Classical History, Kultur der römischen Antike, Roman Culture