Elizabeth Rawson
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Donata Rawson was a classical scholar
known primarily for her work in the intellectual history
of the Roman Republic
and her biography of Cicero
.
family whose lineage can be traced back to around 1500, but Elizabeth's great-great-grandfather had settled in Kent
in the early 19th century. The family lived at 8 Campden Hill Square, Kensington
. Rawson grew up in an environment where classical music, theatre, and intellectual achievement were highly valued. Her father, described as “somewhat remote,” earned a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Jena in Germany. Her mother, a Dutch Jew
, gave assistance during the 1920s to political exiles and opponents of the Fascist regime in Italy
, where she had pro-Fascist
cousins. In her first book, The Sparta
n Tradition in European Thought, Rawson acknowledged the influence of her mother, "who in no way resembles a Spartan Mother
, save in her dislike of unnecessary verbiage."
(1967-80) and subsequently (1980-1988) Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Corpus Christi College, Oxford
. She had been a Rome Scholar 1957–59.
In 1988, Rawson was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. She died that same year in China after one term spent teaching at Nankai University
, at the age of 54. She bequeathed her personal library to New Hall, where it is available in a reading area as the Rawson Collection.
and antiquarianism. The collection comprises 31 "substantial" articles written in a 20-year period, during which time she also published three major books and contributed to standard reference works in her field. "Held up by ill-health until 1968," wrote classical scholar T.P. Wiseman
, "Elizabeth Rawson started writing late; but once she did start, she had a great deal to say about a great many different things."
In regard to her methodology
, Rawson remarked that "a historical generalisation means nothing, is totally empty, without the concrete details from which it emerges and to which it lends significance." She was criticized as "hostile to 'ideas'," and preferred an empirical to a theoretical
approach.
Wiseman had this assessment:
, edited volume 9 of The Cambridge Ancient History, "The Last Age of the Roman Republic." Although she died before its publication, she had participated fully in planning the volume and made significant contributions in editing
and bibliographical
compilation. Rawson wrote the chapters "Caesar
: Civil War
and Dictatorship
" and "The Aftermath of the Ides
." Her co-editors recognized her "insight, care, enthusiasm, scholarship and wisdom."
Rawson also contributed the chapter "The Expansion of Rome" in The Oxford History of the Roman World.
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
known primarily for her work in the intellectual history
Intellectual history
Note: this article concerns the discipline of intellectual history, and not its object, the whole span of human thought since the invention of writing. For clarifications about the latter topic, please consult the writings of the intellectual historians listed here and entries on individual...
of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and her biography of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
.
Early life
Elizabeth Rawson was the daughter of Graham Stanhope Rawson and Ivy Marion née Enthoven, who married in 1930. The Rawsons were originally a YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
family whose lineage can be traced back to around 1500, but Elizabeth's great-great-grandfather had settled in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in the early 19th century. The family lived at 8 Campden Hill Square, Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
. Rawson grew up in an environment where classical music, theatre, and intellectual achievement were highly valued. Her father, described as “somewhat remote,” earned a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Jena in Germany. Her mother, a Dutch Jew
History of the Jews in the Netherlands
Most history of the Jews in the Netherlands was generated between the end of the 16th century and World War II.The area now known as the Netherlands was once part of the Spanish Empire but in 1581, the northern Dutch provinces declared independence...
, gave assistance during the 1920s to political exiles and opponents of the Fascist regime in Italy
Fascist and anti-Fascist violence in Italy (1919–26)
Italy witnessed significant widespread civil unrest and political strife in the aftermath of World War I and the rise of the Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini which opposed the rise of the international left, especially the far-left along with others who opposed Fascism. Fascists and...
, where she had pro-Fascist
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
cousins. In her first book, The Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
n Tradition in European Thought, Rawson acknowledged the influence of her mother, "who in no way resembles a Spartan Mother
Women in Ancient Sparta
Women in ancient Sparta were famous for their independence relative to that of other Greek women. In contrast to Athens, in Spartan society girls were reared much like boys, including physical fitness training....
, save in her dislike of unnecessary verbiage."
Career
Rawson was an early Fellow of New Hall, CambridgeNew Hall, Cambridge
Murray Edwards College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It was founded as "New Hall" in 1954, at a time when Cambridge had the lowest proportion of women undergraduates of any university in the United Kingdom, and when only two other colleges admitted women...
(1967-80) and subsequently (1980-1988) Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
. She had been a Rome Scholar 1957–59.
In 1988, Rawson was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. She died that same year in China after one term spent teaching at Nankai University
Nankai University
Nankai University , commonly known as Nankai, is a public research university based in Tianjin on mainland China. Founded in 1919 by educators Zhang Boling and Yan Fansun , Nankai University is a member of the Nankai serial schools. It is the alma mater of former Chinese Premier and key historical...
, at the age of 54. She bequeathed her personal library to New Hall, where it is available in a reading area as the Rawson Collection.
Scholarship
Rawson's collected papers, published under the title Roman Culture and Society (1991), explored the "workings of human politics and society, historical thinking at Rome, and literary and cultural criticism," dealing mainly with the themes of historiographyHistoriography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
and antiquarianism. The collection comprises 31 "substantial" articles written in a 20-year period, during which time she also published three major books and contributed to standard reference works in her field. "Held up by ill-health until 1968," wrote classical scholar T.P. Wiseman
T.P. Wiseman
Timothy Peter Wiseman FBA , who usually publishes as T.P. Wiseman and is named as Peter Wiseman in other sources, is a classical scholar and professor emeritus of the University of Exeter...
, "Elizabeth Rawson started writing late; but once she did start, she had a great deal to say about a great many different things."
In regard to her methodology
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
, Rawson remarked that "a historical generalisation means nothing, is totally empty, without the concrete details from which it emerges and to which it lends significance." She was criticized as "hostile to 'ideas'," and preferred an empirical to a theoretical
Theory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...
approach.
Wiseman had this assessment:
Books
- The Spartan Tradition in European Thought. Oxford: Clarendon Press, originally published 1969, 1991.
- Cicero: A Portrait. Bristol Classical Press, originally published 1975, rev. ed. 1983.
- Intellectual Life in the Late Roman Republic. London: Duckworth, 1985; Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1985.
- Roman Culture and Society: Collected Papers. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991.
Selected essays
The following essays are listed as they were originally published, but appear also in the volume of collected papers.- "Prodigy Lists and the Use of the Annales MaximiAnnales maximiThe Annales maximi were annals kept by the Pontifex maximus in the Roman Republic. The chief priest of the Capitoline would record key public events and the names of each of the magistrates...
." Classical Quarterly 31 (1971) 158–169. "The article with which R. announced herself as a Roman historian." - "The Literary Sources for the Pre-MarianGaius MariusGaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
Army." Papers of the British School in Rome (1971) 13-31. - "Cicero the Historian and Cicero the Antiquarian." Journal of Roman Studies 62 (1972) 33–45.
- "Scipio, LaeliusGaius Laelius SapiensGaius Laelius G.f. Sapiens , was a Roman statesman, best known for his friendship with the Roman general and statesman Scipio Aemilianus . He was consul of 140 BC, elected with the help of his friend, by then censor, after failing to be elected in 141 BC. Gaius Laelius G.f...
, FuriusLucius Furius PhilusLucius Furius Philus was a consul of ancient Rome in 136 BC. He was a member of the Scipionic circle, and particularly close to Scipio Aemilianus. As consul he was involved with the foedus Mancinum, and offered Mancinus to the Numantines...
and the Ancestral Religion." Journal of Roman Studies 63 (1973) 161–174. - "Religion and Politics in the Late Second Century B.C. at Rome." Phoenix 28 (1974) 193–212.
- "CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's Heritage: Hellenistic Kings and Their Roman Equals." Journal of Roman Studies 65 (1975) 148–159. - "Chariot-RacingChariot racingChariot racing was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine sports. Chariot racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse as they frequently suffered serious injury and even death, but generated strong spectator enthusiasm...
in the Roman Republic." Papers of the British School at Rome 49 (1981) 1-16 - " Crassorum funera." Latomus 41 (1982) 540–549.
- "Cicero and the AreopagusAreopagusThe Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the "Rock of Ares", north-west of the Acropolis, which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens. Ares was supposed to have been tried here by the gods for the murder of Poseidon's son Alirrothios .The origin...
." Athenaeum 63 (1985) 44-67. - "Theatrical Life in Rome and Italy." Papers of the British School at Rome 53 (1985) 97-113.
- "CassiusGaius Cassius LonginusGaius Cassius Longinus was a Roman senator, a leading instigator of the plot to kill Julius Caesar, and the brother in-law of Marcus Junius Brutus.-Early life:...
and BrutusMarcus Junius BrutusMarcus Junius Brutus , often referred to as Brutus, was a politician of the late Roman Republic. After being adopted by his uncle he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, but eventually returned to using his original name...
: The Memory of the Liberators." In Past Perspectives: Studies in Greek and Roman Writing (Cambridge University Press, 1986), pp. 101-120, limited preview online. - "SallustSallustGaius Sallustius Crispus, generally known simply as Sallust , a Roman historian, belonged to a well-known plebeian family, and was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines...
on the Eighties." Classical Quarterly 37 (1987) 163–180.
Reference works
Rawson, with J.A. Crook and Andrew LintottAndrew Lintott
Andrew William Lintott is a classical scholar who specializes in the political and administrative history of ancient Rome, Roman law, and epigraphy. He is an emeritus fellow of Worcester College, University of Oxford....
, edited volume 9 of The Cambridge Ancient History, "The Last Age of the Roman Republic." Although she died before its publication, she had participated fully in planning the volume and made significant contributions in editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and bibliographical
Bibliography
Bibliography , as a practice, is the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology...
compilation. Rawson wrote the chapters "Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
: Civil War
Caesar's civil war
The Great Roman Civil War , also known as Caesar's Civil War, was one of the last politico-military conflicts in the Roman Republic before the establishment of the Roman Empire...
and Dictatorship
Roman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
" and "The Aftermath of the Ides
Ides of March
The Ides of March is the name of the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar, probably referring to the day of the full moon. The word Ides comes from the Latin word "Idus" and means "half division" especially in relation to a month. It is a word that was used widely in the Roman calendar...
." Her co-editors recognized her "insight, care, enthusiasm, scholarship and wisdom."
Rawson also contributed the chapter "The Expansion of Rome" in The Oxford History of the Roman World.