Author : American Academy in Rome
Release : 2015-06-29
Genre : Social Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 945/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 17 (Classic Reprint) by : American Academy in Rome

Download or read book Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 17 (Classic Reprint) written by American Academy in Rome. This book was released on 2015-06-29. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 17 The continuity between the civilizations of Greece and Rome cannot be denied. But it is too often slighted in modern studies both because frequently each is treated by itself and also because of a reaction from the opinion that Rome was only an unimportant step-child of Greece. This reaction has justly emphasized the importance of Italic elements in Roman culture but it has tried to reduce the Hellenic element to a superficial coating which cannot obscure the originality of a strong native civilization. In particular, recent discussions of the Augustan prin-cipate have belittled the contributions made thereto by Greek political thought, especially as interpreted by Cicero. Augustus has been portrayed either as a practical politician, who solved his problems according to the needs of the immediate situation and without the guidance of any general philosophy, or at best as the heir of a strictly Roman tradition which stood in strong contrast to the political doctrines and experience of Greece. The question of the degree to which Greek thought shaped the form which Augustus gave to the prin-cipate has been so thoroughly canvassed that fresh arguments can hardly be devised. Each student must form his own opinion of the validity of the evidence adduced on either side. But the most ardent advocates for a purely Roman inspiration in the theory of the principate would hardly deny that its practices were in considerable measure modeled on those of the Hellenistic monarchies, though they may maintain that these derivative elements were transmuted into something new and grand by the Roman genius. Yet Augustus could hardly have been familiar with the practical aspects of Hellenistic monarchy without knowing something of Greek political theory, granted, of course, that he had any interest in speculation. A Roman who grew up in the society which Cicero portrays must have learned something about Greek thought either in his education or in the talk which he heard going on around him. But it may serve to support the thesis that Augustus drew his political inspiration as much from Greek as from Roman sources if the evidences for Hellenistic influence on the structure of the principate can be presented. This presentation cannot pretend to contribute much fresh material. But only one partial collection has heretofore been made, Kornemann's article on "A gyptische Einflusse im romischen Kaiserreich," which, though some of its arguments are perhaps somewhat far-fetched, has served as the basis for the present treatment. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."