Sallust was one of the first classical historians to move beyond a dry recitation of fact to paint sharp-edged portraits of the moral and political degeneration of the Roman Republic. Sallust's abrupt and distinctive style is the perfect vehicle for his moral urgency, bitter condemnation, and satirical cynicism. William W. Batstone's new translation, which includes the fragmentary Histories, captures the severity of his Latin style. Catiline's Conspiracy describes the bloody rebellion led by the depraved and disaffected Catiline. For Sallust it was especially disturbing because of the...
Sallust was one of the first classical historians to move beyond a dry recitation of fact to paint sharp-edged portraits of the moral and political de...
Sallust, Gaius Sallustius Crispus (86-35 BCE), a Sabine from Amiternum, acted against Cicero and Milo as tribune in 52, joined Caesar after being expelled from the Senate in 50, was restored to the Senate by Caesar and took part in his African campaign as praetor in 46, and was then appointed governor of New Africa (Numidia). Upon his return to Rome he narrowly escaped conviction for malfeasance in office, retired from public life, and took up historiography. Sallust's two extant monographs take as their theme the moral and political decline of Rome, one on the conspiracy of Catiline and...
Sallust, Gaius Sallustius Crispus (86-35 BCE), a Sabine from Amiternum, acted against Cicero and Milo as tribune in 52, joined Caesar after being e...