Greek Narratives of the Roman Empire under the Severans

Abstract

The political instability of the Severan Period (AD 193–235) destroyed the High Imperial consensus about the Roman past and caused both rulers and subjects constantly to re-imagine and re-narrate both recent events and the larger shape of Greco-Roman history and cultural identity. This book examines the narratives put out by the new dynasty, and how the literary elite responded with divergent visions of their own. It focuses on four long Greek narrative texts from the period (by Cassius Dio, Philostratus and Herodian), each of which constructs its own version of the empire, each defined by different Greek and Roman elements and each differently affected by dynastic change, especially that from Antonine to Severan. Innovative theories of narrative are used to produce new readings of these works that bring political, literary and cultural perspectives together in a unified presentation of the Severan era as a distinctive historical moment.

Cassius Dio's Speeches and the Collapse of the Roman Republic

“…Fechner (1986) 48-58, and passim for these virtues. Kemezis (2014) great number of people with his speeches, and those who had been helped by him were nowhere near as grateful to him as those who had been harmed by him were alienated. For people are more ready to be annoyed at what irritates them than to be grateful to anyone, and they think that they have repaid their advocates properly with their fee even when their desire is to ward off their opponents in some way or another ( Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν ,Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν ,Ν Ν Ν Ν Ν )έΝ ἔuὄthἷὄmὁὄἷ,Ν ἑiἵἷὄὁΝ haἶΝ maἶἷΝ himὅἷlἸΝ thἷΝ mὁὅtΝ ἴittἷὄΝ enemies by always trying to get one-up in some way on even the most powerful men, and by always using unbridled and excessive frankness of speech to all alikἷΝ ( Ν Ν Ν )έΝ ώἷΝ hunted eagerly after a reputation for being a powerful speaker and sage like no ὁthἷὄ,ΝἷvἷὀΝiὀΝὂlaἵἷΝὁἸΝἴἷiὀgΝthὁughtΝaΝgὁὁἶΝὂἷὄὅὁὀΝ( Ν Ν )έΝAs a result of this fact, and because he was the greatest boaster of all men and thought no one equal to himself, but instead in his words and his life looked down upon everyone and did not think fit to live in the same manner as ὁthἷὄὅ,ΝΝhἷΝwaὅΝἴὁὁὄiὅhΝaὀἶΝhatἷἸulΝ( Ν Ν Ν ),ΝaὀἶΝaὅΝὅuἵhΝ was envied and despised ( Ν )Ν ἷvἷὀΝ ἴyΝ thὁὅἷΝ hἷΝ haἶΝ ὁὀἵἷΝ…”

“…On the beginning and end date of the twenty-two-year composition of the history, anywhere between the 190s and 220s, cf. Schwartz (1899) 1686; Gabba (1955) 289-301; Millar (1964) 28-32;Letta (1979): 117-189; Barnes (1984) 240-255; Rich (1989Rich ( ) 89-92, (1990 3-4; : 28-34; Kemezis (2014) 282-293. For summaries of the older source-criticism, cf.…”

“…53.19.1-5. Kemezis (2014) 94-104 on narrative modes. 19. ἡὀΝϊiὁ'ὅΝ'ἴiὁὅtὄuἵtuὄἷ'ΝἵἸέΝPelling (1997) passim and 117-123 for the character of the princeps as an historical cause in itself.…”

The King of Athens: Philostratus’ Portrait of Herodes Atticus

“…Cf. Kemezis 2011, 11. Eshleman (2012) convincingly represents the episode as a contest over insider and outsider status, and the fluid divide between the two.…”

“…1. Anderson 1986, 83;Eshleman 2008, 397-99;2012, 128-32;Kemezis 2011;Civiletti 2002, 30-31. Kemezis (2014 describes an exiled Aeschines' foundation of the "movement," its early flourishing in Asia, and Herodes Atticus' agency in returning it to Athens to make that city its center.…”