The Politics of Immorality in Ancient Rome
The Politics of Immorality in Ancient Rome
The question this book addresses is not how immoral the ancient Romans were, but why the literature they produced is so preoccupied with immorality. The modern image of immoral Rome derives from ancient accounts which are largely critical rather than celebratory. Far from being empty commonplaces, these accusations constituted a powerful discourse through which Romans negotiated conflicts and tensions in their social and political order. This study proceeds by a detailed examination of a wide range of translated ancient texts, exploring the dynamics of their rhetoric, as well as the ends to which they were deployed. Roman moralising discourse, Edwards suggests, may be seen as especially concerned with the articulation of anxieties about gender, social status and political power. This revised edition contains a substantial new Introduction which engages with critical and scholarly developments in the study of Roman culture since the original publication.
- Individual chapters focus on specific topics such as adultery, effeminacy, the immorality of the Roman theatre, luxurious buildings and the dangers of pleasure
- Assumes no prior specialist knowledge of Latin and presents all texts in translation
- Contains a substantial new Introduction engaging with critical and scholarly developments since the original publication
Reviews & endorsements
‘Highly original in its exploration of the Roman tradition of moralising … a first-class book.' Peter Walcot, Emeritus Professor in the Cardiff School of History and Archaeology
‘Shows how central the theme of sexual immorality was to political discourse in ancient Rome.' Rebecca Langlands, Professor of Classics, University of Exeter
Product details
February 2025Adobe eBook Reader
9781009464109
0 pages
Not yet published - available from February 2025
Table of Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Introduction to the Cambridge Classical Classics edition
- Introduction
- 1. A moral revolution? The law against adultery
- 2. Mollitia: reading the body
- 3. Playing Romans: representations of actors and the theatre
- 4. Structures of immorality: rhetoric, building and social hierarchy
- 5. Prodigal pleasures
- Bibliography
- Index locorum
- Index of subjects and proper names.
