Unit 16: Arts and Literature in the Empire
Contents and layout ©1999 Joseph J. Hughes, Ph.D.
Revised 09 November 2000
Maecenas Seneca
Livy Juvenal
Horace Martial
Ovid Tacitus
Vergil Petronius
I. Changes in the Roman order
A. Rome's civilizing mission to the world
1. perception of Rome as -princeps- of world
a. East: effete Greeks
b. West: barbarian Gauls and Germans
2. superiority of Roman military and political institutions
a. effective power all over the Mediterranean
b. maintained pax Romana
1). foreign peace
2). domestic peace
3). economic and judicial security
3. gradual assimilation of Western Mediterranean
a. colonies of Romans sent out
b. Roman civilization took firm hold
1). Romance languages
2). Holy Roman Empire
4. relationship with Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt
a. complicated by Hellenistic tradition
1). Greeks proud of their own culture
2). sense of their cultural superiority
b. Empire never a homogeneous whole
1). Greek remained everyday language
2). Latin merely the language of government
5. universality of Roman citizenship
a. conferred benefits regardless of native tongue
b. common recognition of benefits of peace
B. changes in society at Rome
1. establishment of the Principate
a. increase in peace and prosperity
b. decrease in personal liberty
c. IS THIS GOOD?
2. upward mobility for the ambitious
a. proud old families decline and/or die out
1). highest advancement reserved for royal family
2). loss of a sense of challenge
b. newly-rich non-Romans go social-climbing
1). freedmen
2). foreigners
3). even slaves
c. perceived as deviation from the -mos- -maiorum-
3. excess
a. rich get richer and the poor become more numerous
1). political stability benefitted the rich
2). Principate concerned with mollifying the wealthy
b. market for extreme luxury items increases
1). Greek art, books (not necessarily learning)
2). weird and complicated delicacies
3). elaborate housing
c. perceived as deviation from the -mos- -maiorum-
C. the concept of corruption
1. Romans' fascination for idea of corruption
a. loved to write about their own corruption
b. also loved corruption itself
2. salient ancient examples of corruption
a. Repeal of Oppian Law
b. SC de Bacchanalibus 187 BC
c. life in the fast lane at Baiae
3. salient contemporary examples of corruption
a. the prominence of freedmen was galling
b. fixation on things Greek
1). Roman attitude still ambiguous
a). mark of sophistication
b). still considered effete and effeminate
2). increasingly affected by the wealthy
a). Greek objets d' art popular
b). literature also collected
II. Augustan Era
A. need for propaganda
1. importance of propaganda among Romans
a. relied more on auctoritas than legal power
b. important to win popular sympathy
1). had committed many dastardly crimes in civil wars
2). always mindful of Julius' example
c. always good to remind the people of one's achievements
2. importance of propaganda in Hellenistic East
a. religious beliefs completely alien to Romans
1). mixture of Greek and Oriental beliefs
2). precedent of god-kings such as Alexander
b. Augustus more than willing to adapt
3. further "Rome's civilizing mission"
B. Augustus as literary patron
1. literary patronage
a. Maecenas (d. 8 BC)
1). effete Etruscan
2). skilful diplomat, substitute governor at Rome
b. Maecenas' circle
1). Horace, Vergil, Propertius
2). supported by Maecenas
3). expected to support Augustus' values
c. poetic dilemma
1). poets jealously maintained independence
2). not all poets appreciated Augustus
3). not all poets appreciated the mos maiorum
C. Augustan historians
1. Sallust (moralizer)
a. Bell. Cat.
b. Bell. Iug.
2. Livy (patriotic)
a. Ab Vrbe Condita : history from founding of city
b. laudator temporis acti
1). "mos maiorum made Rome great"
2). Augustus' party line
c. thought you could learn from the past
D. Augustan poets
1. the amatory poets
a. Tibullus
b. Propertius
c. Sulpicia
2. Horace
a. friend of Maecenas and Augustus
b. toed party line
c. came up with "Carpe diem " theme
d. works
1). Satires
2). Odes
3. Ovid
a. elegiac erotic poetry
1). On the Art of Wearing Makeup
2). The Loves
3). Metamorphoses: Creation to Caesar
b. eventually exiled by Augustus
E. Vergil and the Aeneid
1. epic the most enduring form of literary honor
a. Homer's poetry immortalized the Trojan War
b. History an important genre
1). Herodotus, Thucydides
2). no match in prestige with epic
2. Why we need a ROMAN epic poem
a. matter of literary pride
1). can't let those Greeks beat us
2). surely Rome can produce a second, better Homer
b. matter of national pride
1). what can young Romans look to for inspiration?
2). where do we find out what it means to be a Roman?
3. Greek epic
a. Homer
b. Hesiod and others
4. Vergil (70-19 BC): Maecenas's greatest client
a. Eclogues
b. Georgics: Farmer's Almanac
c. Aeneid
5. allegory of the -Aeneid-
a. Aeneas = Augustus
1). Caesar family supposed to have descended from Venus
2). gives Augustus (and Rome) link to Trojan War and Troy
b. founding of Rome = establishment of Principate
6. ambiguity of the Aeneid
a. heroic struggles of Aeneas
1). refugee from the bloody past
2). hero, statesman, soldier
3). founder of a great race
b. Aeneas the killer
1). tries to unite Trojans and indigenous Italians
2). fights a long bloody needless civil war
3). kills Turnus at the end of it
c. captures fundamental ambiguity toward Augustus
1). Second founder of Rome, founder of PAX ROMANA
2). Killer of Romans and killer of Roman republic?
3). Is there an essay question in here?
IV. "Silver Age" Literature
A. Latin poets
1. Seneca
a. tutor and adviser to Nero
b. Stoic philosopher
1). Moral epistles
2). Tragedies
c. committed suicide at Nero's orders
2. Lucan
a. nephew of Seneca
b. Pharsalia: on war between Caesar and Pompey
c. ordered to commit suicide
1). glorified the values of the Republic
2). focal point for resistance against Nero
d. committed suicide at Nero's orders
3. Juvenal
a. down-on-his-luck noble
b. wrote 15 -Satires-
1). hated everybody, esp. Greeks and women
2). criticized contemporary society
4. Martial
a. wrote -Epigrams-
b. content similar to satires, but less vitriolic
c. nice and short
B. Latin prose
1. much literature still written in Greek
a. lots of prose and poetry
1). L. Mestrius Plutarchus the philosopher-biographer
2). Marcus Aurelius the philosopher-emperor
3). Lucian's voluminous output
b. distinction between Greek and Latin somewhat arbitrary
1). still I will restrict myself to commenting on LATIN lit
2). because I am Ipsissimus Caesar
c. we will save the most important for last
2. Petronius
a. important official under Nero
1). capable administrator
2). capable debaucher
b. ordered to commit suicide
1). did so elegantly
2). denounced Nero the while
3). See it in Quo Vadis
c. wrote the Satyricon
1). story of two effete young students
2). most important: Trimalchio's dinner
d. Trimalchio's performance
1). rhapsodes come in and recite in Greek
2). Trimalchio mangles it in Latin
3). pastry statuette of Priapus that shoots saffron
4). worship of Trimalchio's household gods: Profit, Luck, Income
3. Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD)
a. successful Imperial figure
1). played the Imperial game
2). commanded the fleet in Bay of Naples
b. wrote Natural History
1). 37 books, absurd and profound by degrees
2). "20,000 facts from 100 authors"
4. Pliny the Younger (61-112 AD)
a. successful Imperial figure
1). played the Imperial game
2). provincial governor
b. wrote lots of -Letters-
5. Tacitus (fl. 90 AD)
a. frustrated with lack of personal opportunity
1). no point in going up the -cursus-
2). refused to play the Imperial game
3). Scandalized by excesses of Domitian
b. wrote history instead
1). Agricola
2). Germania
3). Annals
4). Histories
c. obsessed with corruption
1). blamed it on the damned Greeks
2). foresaw the decline of Rome
d. TACITUS DID YOUR HOMEWORK FOR YOU
1). spelled out two ways that Romans looked at Augustus
2). did you do your homework with Tacitus?
e. Tacitus on Principate as necessary and positive (Annals )
1). filial duty and national emergency
2). had to save Rome from Antony and Lepidus
3). Principate not a dictatorship or kingship
4). external peace on the frontiers
5). law prevails everywhere
6). provincials treated well, Rome beautified
7). force sparingly used to protect peace for the majority
f. Tacitus on Principate as bloody ego trip (Annals )
1). filial duty and national emergency a pretext
2). actually lust for power
3). bribed, murdered and executed his way to power
4). personal life was scandalous; wife Livia was a peach
5). Augustus used his position to make himself into a god
6). Augustus appointed the loathsome Tiberius as his successor
7). note that this view skips the positive points
6. Apuleius (b. 120 AD)
a. successful orator
b. dabbled in various genres
1). philosophy and oratory
2). novel: The Golden Ass
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