Overview

The late Roman Republic was characterized by severe crises, ranging from the time of the Gracchi to the Battle of Actium and finally ending with the Principate of Augustus. Individual military leaders such as Marius, Sulla, and Pompey acquired so much power that the internal cohesion of the Republic was shattered. The Roman state descended into civil war. By drawing upon a range of case studies, from monumental building to public dining, Dominik Maschek demonstrates that the harsh realities and disruptions of civil war were intimately bound up with growing wealth and prosperity: on the one hand, they were fueled by the increasing complexity of urban life and conspicuous consumption which gave rise to greed and violent appropriation; on the other hand, by the forceful and premature promotion of new ‘controlling generations’, they also played a vital role in conditioning the worldviews and socio-cultural norms that regulated the use of material culture. Drawing upon the latest advances in Roman archaeology and history, Dominik Maschek uses buildings and images, as well as rituals and acts of state, to analyze these structural underpinnings and the impact of the late Republican civil wars and for the first time offers an overall interpretation of their cultural history.

Full Product Details

9781836243380

Table of Contents

Reviews

‘The appearance of this book could realistically change the way the Roman Republic is taught in English-reading settings. It is unparalleled in its ability to provide an account of the key economic and social processes that underpinned the demise of the Republican set-up, and to show how a non-event-centred history of the period can carry as much explanatory power as the best-crafted narrative accounts… This is a book that should be read from cover to cover, but will also repay frequent consultation.’ Federico Santangelo, Greece & Rome ‘There is a great deal to admire… The translation of these accessible, cogent and archaeologically grounded discussions is a windfall for Anglophone undergraduates studying the late Republic. It is also welcome to see Maschek bring so many Romans and Italians into the story. Readers hear not just of elites, but also, for example, about the economic and social diversity of the Roman soldiery (p. 203) and the migration pressures affecting communities across Italy (pp. 173–8). J. O’Donnell’s translation is fluent, and the volume is well produced, with helpful maps and figures, and minimal blemishes. The book is easy to recommend to anyone interested in the Roman Republic.’ Will Szymanski, The Classical Review

‘The appearance of this book could realistically change the way the Roman Republic is taught in English-reading settings. It is unparalleled in its ability to provide an account of the key economic and social processes that underpinned the demise of the Republican set-up, and to show how a non-event-centred history of the period can carry as much explanatory power as the best-crafted narrative accounts… This is a book that should be read from cover to cover, but will also repay frequent consultation.’ Federico Santangelo, Greece & Rome

Author Information

Dominik Maschek is Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Trier and leads the research department of Roman Archaeology at the LEIZA in Mainz. He works on the archaeology of conflict and material culture in the Late Roman Republic.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available