Oratory and Political Career in the Late Roman Republic
Cambridge University Press, 8/18/2016
EAN 9781107051935, ISBN10: 1107051932
Hardcover, 388 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
Oratory and Political Career in the Late Roman Republic is a pioneering investigation into political life in the late Roman Republic. It explores the nature and extent to which Roman politicians embraced oratorical performances as part of their political career and how such performances influenced the careers of individual orators such as Gaius Gracchus, Pompeius Magnus, and Julius Caesar. Through six case studies, this book presents a complex and multifaceted picture of how Roman politicians employed oratory to articulate their personal and political agendas, to present themselves to a public obsessed with individual achievement, and ultimately to promote their individual careers. By dealing specifically with orators other than Cicero, this study offers much-needed alternatives to our understanding of public oratory in Rome. Moreover, the assessment of the impact of public speeches on the development of political careers provides new perspectives on the hotly debated nature of republican political culture.
Introduction
Part I. The Role of Oratory in Roman Politics
1. Oratorical settings and career possibilities
2. Other routes to political success
Part II. Themes and Oratorical Careers
3. Tribunician oratory and family inheritance
Gaius Gracchus' political career
4. Politics behind the scenes
Pompeius' oratory and political career
5. The oratorical springboard
Caesar's political career
6. The oratory and career of Piso Caesoninus
7. Powerful profiling
Cato the Younger and the impact of self-presentation
8. Career-making in a time of crisis
Marcus Antonius' oratory
Conclusion
towards a new Brutus
Appendix 1. Gaius Gracchus' public speeches
Appendix 2. Pompius' public speeches
Appendix 3. Caesar's public speeches
Appendix 4. Piso's public speeches
Appendix 5. Cato's public speeches
Appendix 6. Marcus Antonius' public speeches.