Rome's Cultural Revolution
Rome's Cultural Revolution
$66.99
USDThe period of Rome's imperial expansion, the late Republic and early Empire, saw transformations of its society, culture and identity. Drawing equally on archaeological and literary evidence, this book offers an original and provocative interpretation of these changes. Moving from recent debates about colonialism and cultural identity, both in the Roman world and more broadly, and challenging the traditional picture of 'Romanization' and 'Hellenization', it offers instead a model of overlapping cultural identities in dialogue with one another. It attributes a central role to cultural change in the process of redefinition of Roman identity, represented politically by the crisis of the Republican system and the establishment of the new Augustan order. Whether or not it is right to see these changes as 'revolutionary', they involve a profound transformation of Roman life and identity, one that lies at the heart of understanding the nature of the Roman Empire.
- A major scholar offers an original and bold new interpretation of the transformation of late Republican Rome and the origins of the Augustan Empire
- Makes use of comparative materials from other fields of cultural studies
- Richly illustrated, to aid understanding of the discussion of archaeological sites and artefacts
Reviews & endorsements
"Among the many studies of ancient Roman history and society, this one will stand out for its scope and depth as well as its clarity and bold interpretation. [Wallace-Hadrill] (his insightful discussion of Vitruvius is superb). Students and scholars alike will find this book the standard for research and interpretation. Highly recommended. --Choice
"This is a great work of synthesis, building, as all the best works of its kind, both on previous groundwork by the author and on (generously acknowledged) foundations laid by a host of other scholars...more importantly, this book is not only an assembly of evidence, however learned, but also a thoughtful engagement with that evidence." --BCMR
Product details
December 2008Paperback
9780521721608
546 pages
245 × 175 × 25 mm
1.1kg
112 b/w illus. 40 colour illus. 15 maps
Available
Table of Contents
- Part I. Cultures and Identities:
- 1. Culture, power and identity
- 2. Dress, language and identity
- Part II. Building Identities:
- 3. Roman Italy: between Roman, Greek and local
- 4. Vitruvius: building Roman identity
- Part III. Knowledge and Power:
- 5. Knowing the ancestors
- 6. Knowing the city
- Part IV. The Consumer Revolution:
- 7. Luxury and the consumer revolution
- 8. Waves of fashion
- Epilogue: a cultural revolution?
