Unit 09: Arts and Letters at Rome
Contents and layout ©1999 Joseph J. Hughes, Ph.D.
Revised 09 November 2000
aemulatio New Comedy
Livius Andronicus contaminatio
Fabius Pictor Plautus
Ennius Terence
Cato the Elder Cicero
Julius Caesar Catullus
I. Mos maiorum and the arts
A. traditional acorn-belching Roman simplicity
1. concentrate on farming and fighting
2. no time for artistic frivolity
B. arts in the Mediterranean world highly developed
1. Greeks
2. Egyptians
3. Various Asian
C. changed for good by contact with Greeks
1. "Captive Greece captured her captor"
a. Rome wins militarily
b. Greece wins culturally
2. Roman attitude towards Greeks mixed
a. contempt for their inability to rule themselves
b. respect and resentment for cultural achievements
3. process starts in 3rd cent BC
4. aemulatio
a. most literary/artistic forms pioneered by Greeks
1). everything else came easily to Romans
2). not this
b. Romans did their best to compete
1). sometimes successful
2). sometimes not
c. a matter of national pride to exceed the Greeks
1). part of the Roman psyche
2). analogy to US vs. Britain?
II. Contact with the Greeks
A. Familiarity with Greek civilization before Republic
1. extent of familiarity
a. The whole pantheon was more or less interchangeable
b. Roman architecture influenced by Greek architecture
2. methods of contact before Republic
a. some direct contact with Greek colonies, esp. in Campania
b. more of Greek civ was assimilated through Etruscan intermediaries
3. attitude towards Greeks already formed
a. artsy little dudes
1). we SPQRomans are practical
2). arts and letters didn't conquer Italy and the Mediterranean
3). much better to concentrate on serving the SPQR
b. they have no mos maiorvm
1). why can't they govern themselves
2). why do they fight with each other
3). too much emphasis on the individual, that's why!!!
B. methods of contact after 300 BC
1. intermittent contact with Greek and Hellenized civilizations throughout
a. wars with cities in Italy (eg Tarentum) after 272 BC
b. wars with cities/city-states outside of Italy after 200 BC
2. capture of the Greek world a fact by 1st cent AD
a. Greece falls 146 BC
b. Mithradates cashes in chips 63 BC
c. Ancient Egypt annexed 31?
3. interaction with influential Greeks
a. kings
1). Romans resented individuals with too much power
2). Romans intrigued by concept of regal luxury
b. philosophers
1). emphasis on importance of individuals
2). Romans valued the collective good much more highly
4. interaction with Greek lifestyles
a. Romans awed by splendor of Greek artistic and cultural achievements
1). philosophy--wow, what a concept!
2). formal education outside of the house
b. Romans repelled by it at the same time
1). refined pleasures and entertainments
2). creature comforts and foodal actions
c. who had contacts with the Greex? Everybody!
1). if you watched Greek art displayed in a triumph at Rome
2). if you conquered a Greek town while in the army
3). if you had encountered a Greek doctor
5. popular Roman pastime: when did we Romans get too Greek?
C. status of Greek civilization after 300 BC
1. literature past its greatest days
a. neoterikoi an exception
b. New Comedy another
2. painting and sculpture still up there
D. Romans begin process of aemulatio
1. awed by trappings of Greek civilization
2. became aware of their own boorishness
3. developed a taste for Greek civilization
a. plundered Greek art
1). Roman buildings begin to look more and more Greek
2). Roman gods begin to look more and more Greek
b. began to emulate Greek customs
1). participate in literary salons
2). even (gasp) educate females
c. began to read and speak the Greek language
1). intrinsic merit, to be sure
2). also considerable snob appeal
E. reaction at Rome
1. Greek ways conflicted with the -mos- -maiorum- (eg. Cato the Elder)
a. who cares about art, literature,philosophy?
b. what's wrong with Latin?
2. examples of reaction to Greek civilization
a. expulsion of philosophers and other undesirables
b. SC de Bacchanalibus
1). Roman state cult could not satisfy spiritual longings
2). turn to Bacchus
3). put down by Senatorial force 186 BC
III. The Greeks and Roman literature
A. Greek models
1. history
2. epic poetry
3. comedy and tragedy
B. Livius Andronicus as "father" of Roman literature
1. origins
a. Greek-speaking POW from Tarentum (272)
b. translated from Greek to Latin
2. writings
a. wrote tragedies and comedies
b. wrote an Odyssia
C. history
1. Greeks considered the founders of history
a. Herodotus
b. Thucydides
2. Roman approach to history
a. Romans wrote history out of necessity
1). record glorious deeds of their ancestors
2). present their achievements to the Greek-speaking Med. world
3). instruct future Romans in the glorious mos maiorum
b. first Roman historians wrote in Greek
1). Fabius Pictor
2). L. Cincius Alimentus
c. sometimes wrote history in verse
3. Roman historians of the Republic
a. Cato the Elder
b. Sallust
c. Julius Caesar
D. epic poetry
1. Greeks considered founders of Epic poetry
a. definition
1). originally orally composed poetry
2). eventually any long poem
3). actually written by eastern cultures as well
b. poets
1). Homer
2). Hesiod
c. equivalent to a Greek national poetry
1). moral values
2). patriotic: commemorate great Greeks of old
2. Romans felt the need to compose a Roman national epic
a. Ennius, Annales (ca. 200 BC)
1). attempt to write Roman history in verse
2). saw himself as reincarnation of Homer
3). noble try, but failed
b. Naevius, Bellum Punicum (ca. 200 BC)
1). attempt to record Punic Wars
2). noble try, but failed
c. Cicero, de consulatu suo (ca. 60 BC)
1). relate happenings of the -annus- -mirabilis-
2). worst poem in history of Latin lit
3). oddly Plutarch once called him best poet in Rome
3. problems with Roman epic
a. had to find a proper subject matter
1). history didn't cut it
2). had to find Roman equivalent of Trojan War
b. had to wait for Vergil
E. Comedy and tragedy
1. Greeks considered founders
a. Aeschylus
b. Sophocles
c. Euripides
d. Aristophanes
e. Menander
2. Romans did better in these fields
a. thought to have copied Greek originals (contaminatio)
b. Roman originality a vexed problem
c. drama very popular with Roman general public
1). not everyone could read
2). everyone could attend the festivals
3. Roman tragedy
a. not all that great
b. not that much survives
4. Roman comedy
a. conventions
1). like the modern family sitcom
2). based on love, intrigue
3). characters all supposed to be "Greeks"
b. Plautus
1). wrote "slapstick" comedy
2). beloved by audiences
c. Terence
1). wrote thoughtful character studies
2). not so beloved by audiences
IV. Roman literature up to the fall of the Republic
A. Troubled times produce great literature (and great music?)
1. Greek example
a). rise of Athens great
b). fall of Athens just as fruitful
2. "Western" example
a). lost generation after World War I
b). name your time period
3. cf. MTC's intro to de officiis
B. Turning from the -mos- -maiorum
1. Greek learning helped Romans see themselves in a new light
2. often at variance with the world of the MM
C. changing of the guard
1. poetry taking a new turn
a. away from the hoary glorification of MM
1). attempts to write the Roman epic
2). lots of bad poetry written
b. comedy virtually dead
1). reproductions of the "classics": Plavtvs, Terence
2). Nick at Nite, perhaps
3). massive nostalgia value???
c. more interested in personal experience
1). love
2). hate
3). death
4). other aspects of Roman life
2. Cicero: traditional poet in the epic meter
a. Marius: historical epic
b. Aratea: translation from the Greek
c. de consulatu: political propaganda
3. Catullus: innovator
a. style
1). short, intense thrash poems
2). little epicettes
b. subject matter
1). poems about his girlfriend Lesbia
2). poems about his political outlook
3). poems about his life
4). mythology
c. audience: mostly rich educated guys
4. Lucretius (more in lecture on Epicureanism)
a. "On the Nature of Things"
b. On the entire physical universe in six boox of verse
1). not calculated to glorify the mos maiorum
2). aimed at literate few
D. Oratory
1. Every Roman an orator
a. fundamental end of Roman education (more later)
b. litigation and politics are blood sports in Rome
2. great orators published their speeches for study purposes
a. Cato the elder
b. M. Tullius Cicero
3. writings on rhetoric especially popular
a. every Roman an orator
b. big market for self-improvement boox
E. Other genres
1. philosophy
a. MTC big influence here
1). Romans aphilosophical by nature
2). not over-original thinker himself
3). presented Greek concepts in Roman words
b. a few others; developed later
2. letters per se
a. Romans loved to write letters
b. MTC again our best source
Return to Table of Contents
Return to LLT 326 Home Page