Examines in detail the local, historical, and material circumstances that distinguish different types of Roman Hellenism

Table of contents

Contents
 
List of Illustrations
 
Abbreviations
 
Acknowledgements
 
Introduction
Basil Dufallo and Riemer A. Faber
 
1. Pythagoras and Alcibiades in the Comitium, or: The Sculptural Representation of Greek Subjects in the Forum, ca. 320–220 BCE
Roman Roth
 
2. Roman Epicureanism
Alison Keith
 
3. Augustus’ Hellenistic Divinization in Ovid’s Fasti and Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars
Darja Šterbenc Erker
 
4. Hellenic Horses: Domitianic vs. Augustan Hellenism in Statius, Silvae 1.1
Basil Dufallo
 
5. Space and Time, from Greek Myth to Roman Art
Nathaniel B. Jones
 
6. The Statues of Nike from Oplontis: Decor et Duplicatio Revisited
Elaine K. Gazda
 
7. Revisionist Representations of Early Latin Poetry: Horace and the ‘Hellenistic’ Aesthetics of Ennius
Riemer A. Faber
 
8. Apuleius’ Metamorphoses, Vergil’s Eclogues, and the Varying Challenges of Greek Genres
Luca Graverini
 
9. Roman Hellenism and Republican Architecture: The Genesis of the Corinthian Order
Marcello Mogetta
 
10. Portraiture in the Greek East in the Roman Period: The View from the Athenian Agora
Sheila Dillon
 
Epilogue: Cultural Dynamics and Influences
Martin Hose
 
Bibliography
 
List of Contributors
 

Description

The story of Roman Hellenism—defined as the imitation or adoption of something Greek by those subject to or operating under Roman power—begins not with Roman incursions into the Greek mainland, but in Italy, where our most plentiful and spectacular surviving evidence is concentrated. Think of the architecture of the Roman capital, the Campanian towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum buried by Vesuvius, and the Hellenic culture of the Etruscans. Perhaps “everybody knows” that Rome adapted Greek culture in a steadily more “sophisticated” way as its prosperity and might increased. This volume, however, argues that the assumption of smooth continuity, let alone steady “improvement,” in any aspect of Roman Hellenism can blind us to important aspects of what Roman Hellenism really is and how it functions in a given context.

As the first book to focus on the comparison of Roman Hellenisms per se, Comparing Roman Hellenisms in Italy shows that such comparison is especially valuable in revealing how any singular instance of the phenomenon is situated and specific, and has its own life, trajectory, circumstances, and afterlife. Roman Hellenism is always a work in progress, is often strategic, often falls prey to being forgotten, decontextualized, or reread in later periods, and thus is in important senses contingent. Further, what we may broadly identify as a Roman Hellenism need not imply Rome as the only center of influence. Roman Hellenism is often decentralized, and depends strongly on local agents, aesthetics, and materials. With this in mind, the essays concentrate geographically on Italy to lend both focus and breadth to our topic, as well as to emphasize the complex interrelation of Hellenism at Rome with Rome’s surroundings. Because Hellenism, whether as practiced by Romans or Rome’s subjects, is in fact widely diffused across far-flung geographical regions, the final part of the collection gestures to this broader context.  

Basil Dufallo is Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Michigan.

Riemer A. Faber is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo.

“This is a valuable and rich contribution to an essential topic in ancient studies. The Roman interaction with Greek culture encompassed most areas of Roman culture. Compartmentalized studies have been the norm, and this broader perspective fills a real need.” 
—Karl Galinsky, University of Texas

- Karl Galinsky

“This book provides a series of engaging, well-written, and well-conceived essays on a topic that will be of great interest to Greek and Roman scholars alike: Roman Hellenism. The contributors and editors have deftly provided a unified consideration of Roman Hellenism in text and material culture, and they are to be commended for writing a volume that bridges disciplinary divides and showcases how interdisciplinary discussions and analyses can further our understanding of multifaceted concepts like Roman Hellenism.”
—Brenda Longfellow, University of Iowa

- Brenda Longfellow