******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. *****************************************************************
Best regards, Andrew Stewart - - - Subscribe to the Washington Babylon newsletter via https://washingtonbabylon.com/newsletter/ Begin forwarded message: > From: H-Net Staff via H-REVIEW <h-rev...@lists.h-net.org> > Date: March 19, 2020 at 8:59:32 AM EDT > To: h-rev...@lists.h-net.org > Cc: H-Net Staff <revh...@mail.h-net.org> > Subject: H-Net Review [H-War]: Moore on Chrissanthos, 'The Year of Julius > and Caesar: 59 BC and the Transformation of the Roman Republic' > Reply-To: h-rev...@lists.h-net.org > > Stefan G. Chrissanthos. The Year of Julius and Caesar: 59 BC and the > Transformation of the Roman Republic. Witness to Ancient History > Series. Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019. > Illustrations, maps. 179 pp. $24.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-4214-2970-0; > $74.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-4214-2969-4. > > Reviewed by Rosemary Moore (University of Iowa) > Published on H-War (March, 2020) > Commissioned by Margaret Sankey > > The end of the Roman republic is perhaps the best-known period of > Roman history--not simply for its historical significance, because > what replaced the republic as governing body was a monarchy, but also > for its dramatic appeal, with the sort of story and charismatic > characters that have supported many movies and television series. > This period of Roman history also happens to be about as well > documented as any for ancient Rome, meaning that instructors have > ample room to discuss historiography and source criticism through a > narrative that engages even the most casual students of history. > > Stefan G. Chrissanthos selects one year, that of Julius Caesar's > first consulship, 59 BC, as his subject, arguing that the events of > this year were pivotal to speeding the shift at Rome from republic to > monarchy. While arguments can be made for other years, for example 49 > BC, when Caesar led his army across the Rubicon River, thus > initiating civil war, or 44 BC, the year he was assassinated, the > republic in 59, though dysfunctional, still generally operated > according to traditional procedure. At the same time, it was in 59 > that deadlock resulting from a toxic and divisive political > environment, the opportunism and ambition of politicians, and the > ruthlessness of one politician in particular, Caesar, brought about a > series of events from which the regular operation of the republic > would not return. > > Striking a balance between maintaining narrative momentum and > presenting a level of detail sufficient for understanding the > implications of events and decisions is not easy, but Chrissanthos > manages to do both. Especially helpful for readers are descriptions > of the physical context, as they not only enable readers unfamiliar > with Rome's physical setting to imagine themselves in loco but also > reinforce the symbolic significance of Rome as a place in Roman > politics. Only occasionally does the detail seem excessive, as when > Chrissanthos notes that Roman chariot races were usually seven laps > long (p. 37). > > The short period covered permits a high level of detail in a book > that is quite manageable in size--179 pages. The prose is clear and > direct, with ample references in an up-to-date bibliography. The > book, recently published in the Witness to Ancient History series > (edted by Gregory Aldrete) from Johns Hopkins University Press, is > aimed at a nonspecialist audience and succeeds in providing a > readable yet precise narrative of the year to this group. The > appendixes, 70 pages in all, in addition to the endnotes, make the > text useful to a more advanced (think early graduate student) > audience, while also increasing the volume's utility for > undergraduate courses. Among the appendixes are a timeline, glossary, > helpful notes on notable characters as well as ancient sources, and > about as useful a chart diagramming the magistracies and assemblies > of the republic as I have seen. The appendix "Suggestions for Further > Reading" lists reliable books and journal articles, to which I would > add Henrik Mouritsen, _Politics in the Roman Republic _(2017), > probably too recently published to be included. Chrissanthos favors > the populist-oriented view of politics begun by Fergus Millar; more > advanced students would benefit from more bibliography from other > perspectives. Considering the role soldiers played in this and other > years of the late republic, more bibliography on Roman soldiers and > generals would also be helpful in addition to the two sources listed. > One book to include here is Arthur Keaveny's _The Army in the Roman > Revolution _(2007). > > As useful a text as this is, there is room for additional > clarification and consistency. At points, Chrissanthos uses terms and > phrases that are not common in other modern Roman accounts. For > example, he refers to 133 BC, the year of Tiberius Gracchus's > tribuneship, as the beginning of the Roman Revolution; most accounts > use this year as the beginning of the late Roman republic. This > phrase is also more closely associated with the transformation of the > republic into monarchy under Augustus, the subject of Ronald Syme's > classic _The Roman Revolution _(1939; revised edition 2002), so > unpacking this phrase would be wise. The timeline also lists numerous > civil wars, beginning with what is indicated to be the first, > Marius's capture of Rome in 87 BC, and ending with the twelfth, > Octavian's successful war against Antony of 32-30 BC. Of course this > is more accurate in addition to providing a very helpful perspective > for readers; it is simply not very common and instructors planning to > use this book should be aware. > > Several glossary and "Cast of Characters" entries should be expanded. > _Clementia_ deserves more than "mercy," especially considering the > book's focus on Caesar. If I were to use this in a course (and to be > clear, I plan to do that), I see this entry as an opportunity to add > complexity to Caesar in the snapshot of 59, where his ruthlessness > and risk-taking are far more evident. Why _clementia_ would be a > choice among politicians for whom revenge and honor were important > virtues would prompt readers to a deeper consideration of Roman > society, particularly its political and aristocratic segments. More > minor suggestions include more consistency in listing dates for all > events. For example, the entry for Marcus Antonius provides dates for > the Second Triumvirate, the battle of Philippi, and Lepidus's forced > retirement, but not the battle of Actium. > > One of the many advantages in assigning this book is making > comparisons between the dysfunctional political environments of the > late republic to (in my case) the modern United States. Regardless of > how useful or applicable such a comparison might be, the fact of the > matter is that political divisiveness and deadlock characterize both > periods, and the topic will come up in class. Here the narrow > timeframe of the book's topic, with attendant close attention to > details that are left out of typical textbooks, is of great > advantage. In addition, rarely is it possible to trace individual > actions and motivations for any period of Greek or Roman history; > this detail permits both close comparison with modern accounts and > the possibility of interrogating the ancient sources far more > thoroughly than with other periods. The information presented in the > appendix on ancient sources facilitates good starting points for such > approaches, and the book in general gives a very strong foundation > for instruction in historiography and methodology. > > In conclusion, _The Year of Julius and Caesar 59 BC and the > Transformation of the Roman Republic_ is a welcome addition to the > resources available for teaching the late Roman republic. The volume > is well designed for integration into the classroom with clear > presentation, many helpful additions, and up-to-date bibliography. > This volume is well priced for course integration and provides many > pathways for students to engage productively with late republican > Roman politics and society. > > Citation: Rosemary Moore. Review of Chrissanthos, Stefan G., _The > Year of Julius and Caesar: 59 BC and the Transformation of the Roman > Republic_. H-War, H-Net Reviews. March, 2020. > URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=54388 > > This work is licensed under a Creative Commons > Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States > License. > > _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
