Historical Writing

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An examination of the historical writings of Rome, including the works of Livy and Tacitus.

Roman Literature: A broad overview of the various genres, authors, and themes in Roman literature, including epic poetry, tragedy, comedy, satire, histories, and philosophical works.
Roman History: A chronological survey of significant events and periods in Roman history, from the legendary founding of Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Roman Culture and Society: An examination of Roman cultural achievements and social structures, including language, art, architecture, government, law, and religion.
Literary Analysis: The techniques and methods used to analyze and interpret literary texts, including close reading, historical context, and literary theory.
Source Analysis: The evaluation of primary and secondary sources, including literary texts, historical documents, and archaeological evidence, for their reliability and usefulness in constructing historical narratives.
Historiography: The history of historical writing and the evolution of historical methods and theories, including the influence of key figures such as Herodotus, Thucydides, and Tacitus.
Roman Philosophy: An exploration of the major philosophical schools and ideas in ancient Rome, including Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Neoplatonism.
Mythology and Religion: An examination of the role of myth and religion in Roman literature and culture, including the influence of Greek mythology and the development of a distinct Roman pantheon.
Gender and Sexuality: An analysis of gender roles, sexuality, and the representation of women and men in Roman literature and society.
Postcolonial Perspectives: A critical examination of the legacy of Roman imperialism and its impact on contemporary culture and politics, particularly in the region of the Mediterranean.
Annals: These were historical records of events and transactions that took place in the Roman Republic and Empire. Annals were usually compiled by the official public scribes of the Roman government.
Biographies: Roman biographies are historical writings that focus on the lives of notable individuals from the period. They contain detailed discussions of people's personalities, achievements, and social status.
Epic Poetry: Roman epics are long, narrative poems that typically depict heroic deeds and grand battles. The Aeneid is one of the most famous Roman epics.
Ethnography: Ethnography is the description of cultural practices and customs of a particular group of people. In Roman literature, this primarily took the form of descriptions of the cultures of distant lands.
Historiography: Historiography is the study of the writing of historical events. Roman historiography includes authors such as Livy and Tacitus.
Military Manuals: Military manuals were instructional texts on ancient warfare. They provided detailed instructions on tactics, equipment, and organization of armies.
Myths: Roman mythology is a collection of myths and stories about the gods and goddesses of ancient Rome. It often incorporated elements of Greek mythology.
Oratory and Speeches: Roman orators wrote speeches and delivered them to audiences. Many of these speeches have been preserved in writing and give insight into Roman political, social, and cultural issues.
Philosophy: Roman philosophy focused on questions of morality, ethics, and what it meant to live a good life. The works of philosophers such as Seneca and Cicero were influential in shaping Roman thought.
Poetry: Roman poets wrote lyric, narrative, and pastoral poems about a variety of subjects, including love, nature, and politics. The works of poets such as Ovid and Catullus are still studied today.
Quote: "Roman historiography stretches back to at least the 3rd century BC and was indebted to earlier Greek historiography."
Quote: "Roman historiographical forms are usually different from their Greek counterparts, however, and often emphasize Roman concerns."
Quote: "The Annales Maximi include a wide array of information, including religious documents, names of consuls, deaths of priests, and various disasters throughout history."
Quote: "Also part of the Annales Maximi are the White Tablets, or the 'Tabulae Albatae,' which consist of information on the origin of the Roman Republic."
Quote: "During the Second Punic War with Carthage, Rome's earliest known annalists Quintus Fabius Pictor and Lucius Cincius Alimentus recorded history in Greek and relied on Greek historians such as Timaeus."
Quote: "Roman histories were not written in Classical Latin until the 2nd century BC with the Origines by Cato the Elder."
Quote: "Contemporary Greek historians such as Polybius wrote about the rise of Rome during its conquest of Greece and ascension as the primary power of the Mediterranean in the 2nd century BC."
Quote: "Moving away from the annalist tradition, Roman historians of the 1st century BC such as Sallust, Livy, and even Julius Caesar wrote their works in a much fuller narrative form."
Quote: "While Caesar's De Bello Gallico focused specifically on his wars in Gaul..."
Quote: "...Roman works that served as a broad universal history often placed heavy emphasis on the origin myth of the founding of Rome as a starting point."
Quote: "These works formed the basis of the Roman historiographic models utilized by later Imperial authors of the Principate era, such as Tacitus and Suetonius."
Quote: "The Romans relied on previous models in the Greek tradition such as the works of Herodotus (c. 484 – 425 BC) and Thucydides (c. 460 – c. 395 BC)."
Quote: "The Annales Maximi include a wide array of information, including religious documents, names of consuls, deaths of priests, and various disasters throughout history."
Quote: "During the Second Punic War with Carthage, Rome's earliest known annalists Quintus Fabius Pictor and Lucius Cincius Alimentus recorded history in Greek..."
Quote: "Roman histories were not written in Classical Latin until the 2nd century BC with the Origines by Cato the Elder."
Quote: "Contemporary Greek historians such as Polybius wrote about the rise of Rome during its conquest of Greece and ascension as the primary power of the Mediterranean in the 2nd century BC."
Quote: "Moving away from the annalist tradition, Roman historians of the 1st century BC such as Sallust, Livy, and even Julius Caesar wrote their works in a much fuller narrative form."
Quote: "While Caesar's De Bello Gallico focused specifically on his wars in Gaul..."
Quote: "...Roman works that served as a broad universal history often placed heavy emphasis on the origin myth of the founding of Rome as a starting point."
Quote: "These works formed the basis of the Roman historiographic models utilized by later Imperial authors of the Principate era, such as Tacitus and Suetonius."