The Roman Revolution
Encyclopedia
The Roman Revolution is an enormously influential scholarly study of the final years of the ancient Roman Republic
and the creation of the Roman Empire
by Caesar Augustus. The book was the work of Sir Ronald Syme
(1903-1989), a noted Tacitean scholar
, and was published by the Oxford University Press
. It was immediately controversial. Its main conclusion was that the structure of the Republic and its Senate were inadequate to the needs of Roman rule, and that Augustus was merely doing what was necessary to restore order in public life. This was a situation and reasoning uncomfortably reminiscent of contemporary events in Nazi Germany
and the other fascist regimes of the time.
Syme relies on prosopography
, especially the work of German scholars Friedrich Münzer
and Matthias Gelzer, to show the extent to which Augustus achieved his unofficial but undisputed power by the development of personal relationships into a "Caesarian" party, then used it to defeat and diminish the opposition one by one. The process was slow, with the young Octavian initially just using his position as a relative of Julius Caesar
to pursue Caesar's assassins, then over a period of years gradually accumulating personal power while nominally restoring the Republic. In addition, the portrait he paints of Augustus as a somewhat sinister autocratic figure is immensely influential among subsequent generations of classicists.
said in 1939 of Syme's The Roman Revolution "His work is extraordinarily persuasive and interesting... the best book on Roman history that has appeared for many years".
Syme's conclusion of inevitability is less strongly supported than his elucidation of the takeover process, since at each point we see that Augustus is exercising his free choice, albeit for what he sees as the good of his country. In The Last Generation of the Roman Republic
(1974), Erich S. Gruen
offered an effective opposing point of view, arguing that the traditional view of the Republic's decay is not actually supported by the objective evidence.
A revised German translation was published by Klett-Cotta in 2003 (Die römische Revolution).
A new English edition, with an introduction by G.W. Bowersock, was published by the Folio Society
in June, 2009.
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 the creation of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
by Caesar Augustus. The book was the work of Sir Ronald Syme
Ronald Syme
Sir Ronald Syme, OM, FBA was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. Long associated with Oxford University, he is widely regarded as the 20th century's greatest historian of ancient Rome...
(1903-1989), a noted Tacitean scholar
Tacitean studies
Tacitean studies, centred on the work of Tacitus the Ancient Roman historian, constitute an area of scholarship extending beyond the field of history. The work has traditionally been read for its moral instruction, its narrative, and its inimitable prose style; Tacitus has been most influential...
, and was published by the Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. It was immediately controversial. Its main conclusion was that the structure of the Republic and its Senate were inadequate to the needs of Roman rule, and that Augustus was merely doing what was necessary to restore order in public life. This was a situation and reasoning uncomfortably reminiscent of contemporary events in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and the other fascist regimes of the time.
Syme relies on prosopography
Prosopography
In historical studies, prosopography is an investigation of the common characteristics of a historical group, whose individual biographies may be largely untraceable, by means of a collective study of their lives, in multiple career-line analysis...
, especially the work of German scholars Friedrich Münzer
Friedrich Münzer
Friedrich Münzer was a German classical scholar noted for the development of prosopography, particularly for his demonstrations of how family relationships in ancient Rome connected to political struggles....
and Matthias Gelzer, to show the extent to which Augustus achieved his unofficial but undisputed power by the development of personal relationships into a "Caesarian" party, then used it to defeat and diminish the opposition one by one. The process was slow, with the young Octavian initially just using his position as a relative of Julius 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....
to pursue Caesar's assassins, then over a period of years gradually accumulating personal power while nominally restoring the Republic. In addition, the portrait he paints of Augustus as a somewhat sinister autocratic figure is immensely influential among subsequent generations of classicists.
Reception
Maurice BowraMaurice Bowra
Sir Cecil Maurice Bowra was an English classical scholar and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1951 to 1954.-Birth and boyhood:...
said in 1939 of Syme's The Roman Revolution "His work is extraordinarily persuasive and interesting... the best book on Roman history that has appeared for many years".
Syme's conclusion of inevitability is less strongly supported than his elucidation of the takeover process, since at each point we see that Augustus is exercising his free choice, albeit for what he sees as the good of his country. In The Last Generation of the Roman Republic
The Last Generation of the Roman Republic
The Last Generation of the Roman Republic is a scholarly work by Erich S. Gruen on the end of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC....
(1974), Erich S. Gruen
Erich S. Gruen
Erich Stephen Gruen is an American classicist and ancient historian. He was the Gladys Rehard Wood Professor of History and Classics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught full-time from 1966 until 2008...
offered an effective opposing point of view, arguing that the traditional view of the Republic's decay is not actually supported by the objective evidence.
Editions
The Roman Revolution has been reprinted regularly by OUP since its first appearance, most recently in 2002 (ISBN 0-19-280320-4). (Corrections to the text were made by the author in 1952 and 1956.)A revised German translation was published by Klett-Cotta in 2003 (Die römische Revolution).
A new English edition, with an introduction by G.W. Bowersock, was published by the Folio Society
Folio Society
The Folio Society is a book club based in London that produces new editions of classic books. Their books are notable for their high quality bindings and original illustrations...
in June, 2009.