Friendship among the Romans

Verboven, Koenraad

doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195188004.013.0019

Cited by 11 publications

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“…2.167). 223 At the same time, however, amicitia meant far more to a Roman statesman than mere sentiment. That is, amici were obliged to practically demonstrate their affection through the exchange of officia (Cic.…”

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…224 Any man who failed to meet these expectations risked appearing disloyal, selfish, or, worst of all, ungrateful. 225 Amicitia, then, is as complex as it is distinctive. Though it is a bond which cannot exist without benevolentia and genuine affection, the complex web of expectations and obligations that such a relationship engendered made it desirable for emotionally shallow reasons as well (Cic.…”

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…"In others", writes Koenraad Verboven, "affection was more of a question of liking than loving". 227 And in the rest, goodwill was merely an accessory to a fundamentally utilitarian exchange of favours.…”

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is this amalgam of reciprocal goodwill and officium which rendered amicitia essential to the social and political functioning of the res publica. 228 Because the Roman state "lacked an effective institutional and administrative apparatus" with which to regulate the distribution of power and resources, personal networks of amicitia allowed statesmen to bypass official procedures and secure support for themselves. 229 Romans used these webs of obligation to influence political decisions, acquire official government positions, and build a following.…”

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…228 Because the Roman state "lacked an effective institutional and administrative apparatus" with which to regulate the distribution of power and resources, personal networks of amicitia allowed statesmen to bypass official procedures and secure support for themselves. 229 Romans used these webs of obligation to influence political decisions, acquire official government positions, and build a following. 230 The more diverse the network, the greater the sphere of influence.…”

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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All Things to All Men: Ethos in Cicero’s Post-Ides Correspondence

Galloway¹

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In the wake of Caesar’s assassination, Cicero was without the necessary magisterial and martial authority to direct affairs and his influence over the fractious Senate was fragile at best. So, too, did he face the challenge of physical distance. With influential statesmen scattered across the Roman world, the reliance on correspondence for political manoeuvring and the performance of self was more pronounced than ever before. Cicero’s letters, then, played an essential role in his self-fashioning of authority after the Ides of March. This thesis illuminates the nuanced, critical, and underappreciated role that Cicero’s correspondence played in his cultivation of fresh influence after Caesar’s death by assessing the post-Ides corpus through the lens of ethos. In particular, Aristotle’s conception of ethos as comprising phronesis (‘practical wisdom’ or ‘prudence’), eunoia (‘goodwill’ or ‘benevolence’), and aretē excellence’ or ‘moral virtue’) provides a valuable framework. When applied to the letters, three distinct instances of epistolary persona creation are revealed: Cicero as Nestor, Cicero as amicus, and Cicero as saviour. Each of these personae, it is demonstrated, are ultimately employed by the statesman to establish authority as the res publica’s helmsman.

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Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Eunoia and Amicitia In Roman Social Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

All Things to All Men: Ethos in Cicero’s Post-Ides Correspondence

Galloway¹

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Exploring villa Development in the Northern Provinces of the Roman Empire

Habermehl

2011

Villa Landscapes in the Roman North

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Sacred Gifts, Profane Uses? Transfers and the Roman Religious Sphere

Morcillo¹

2023

The Economy of Roman Religion

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In ancient Rome, gifts made by individuals were subject to moral considerations about the aims and nature of these practices. Beyond the debate about their altruistic or utilitarian purposes, legal texts of the imperial age viewed donations and gift exchange as mechanisms that channelled the acquisition and transfer of wealth, an action that facilitated economic profit and that could both enrich and impoverish. The aim of protecting inheritances and avoiding conflicts on the right of possession ultimately explains why donations needed to be measured and evaluated in monetary terms. Their pecuniary value opened the door to the transformation of gifts into marketable commodities, as well as to the acceptability of coins as valid forms of gifts. In legal literature, gift-giving was essentially regarded and discussed as an instrument of wealth that was fully integrated within the monetary economy. But what happened when donations transcended private affairs and relationships between individuals and entered into the realm of the sacred? Were they submitted to the same norms and considerations? This chapter looks at private donations made with a religious purpose, including votive gifts, monetary contributions, and acts of private generosity, or liberalitas, addressed to sacred places with the aim of distinguishing the different levels of abstraction perceived by the Romans within a practice that was not only defined by the aim of the actors, but also by its capacity to transform the nature and function of objects in various ways.

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Friendship among the Romans

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

All Things to All Men: Ethos in Cicero’s Post-Ides Correspondence

All Things to All Men: Ethos in Cicero’s Post-Ides Correspondence

Exploring villa Development in the Northern Provinces of the Roman Empire

Sacred Gifts, Profane Uses? Transfers and the Roman Religious Sphere

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