Bandits in the Roman Empire: Myth and Reality

ISBN-13: 9780415327442 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 244 str.

Thomas Grunewald; T. Grunewald;Grunewald Thoma

Opis

This wide-ranging and informative survey of 'outsider' groups in the Roman Empire will contribute greatly to our understanding of Roman social history. Examining men such as as Viriatus, Tacfarinus, Maternus and Bulla Felix, who were called latrones after clashing with the imperial authorities, special attention is given to perhaps the best-known 'bandit' of all, Spartacus, and to those who impersonated the emperor Nero after his death. Topics covered include: * Whom did the Romans see as bandits (latrones)?
* What did they understand as robbery (lactrocinium)?
* How pressing was the threat that the bandits posed?
* How did their contemporaries perceive the danger? We are shown that the term latrones was not just used to refer to criminals but was metaphorically and disparagingly applied to failed political rebels, rivals and avengers. The word also came to represent the 'noble brigands', idealising the underdog as a means of criticising the winning side. The author therefore presents 'the bandit' as a literary construct rather than a social type.

Recenzje

'[A] fascinating and informative book.' - The Journal of Classics Teaching

Spis treści

Translator's foreword, Author's preface to the original German edition, Bibliography, Introduction, 1 Real bandits, 2 Guerrilla leaders as latrones, 3 Leaders of slave revolts as latrones, 4 Politicians and pretenders as latrones, 5 Leistai in Judaea, 6 Imperial challengers: Bulla Felix and Maternus, 7 Avengers in dynastic conflicts, 8 Conclusion, Notes, Index

O autorze

Thomas Grunewald, geb. 1985 in Halle an der Saale, studierte Geschichte, Philosophie und Betriebswirtschaftslehre an der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg und schloss sein Studium 2013 mit dem akademischen Titel Magister Artium ab. Seine Interessenschwerpunkte liegen im Bereich der Frühen Neuzeit, Neueren Geschichte und Zeitgeschichte.