The Romans: An Introduction. Second Edition. By ANTONY KAMM. London and New
York: Routledge, 2008. Pp. xxi + 241 + 50 b/w illustrations + 4 maps.
Paper, $32.95. ISBN 978–0–415–45825–2.
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The Romans joins a field no less crowded today (first edition, 1995) with
books targeted to readers new to the subject or seeking a historical
context for Roman literature and art. It stands out for a number of
reasons—it remains affordable, compact (at a tad over 6” x 9”, it is
larger now by 0.75”), concise (the achievements and character of the
Romans are presented in 206 pages, divided into 9 chapters, from Rome’s
foundation in 753 BCE to its collapse in 476 CE) and attractively
formatted. Its value to the 21st-century newcomer to ancient Rome is
enhanced by a user-friendly website featuring supplementary materials in
tabbed chapters and subheadings that correspond to the book, digital maps
and a gallery of color images keyed to individual chapters
(http://www.the-romans.co.uk). The literature segment of the site
particularly illustrates the advantages of internet publication with its
links to “The Classics Pages Search Engine” and generous notes on
primary texts. The major strength of the new edition, however, remains
Kamm’s (K.) distinctive voice—graceful prose with touches of
irreverence and a style that combines analysis of detail with balanced
overview. As author, K.’s persona is the tutor, conversing companionably
with an audience he knows and regards, about a subject he thoroughly
comprehends and is passionate about. A good example of his synthesizing
approach is the introductory note on literary sources (p. 1), where K.
explains his use of and rationale for quotations from historical and
artistic sources, while characterizing the value of these observations for
coming to know the Romans and their times. Never forgetting that we today
are “foreigners,” K. integrates ancient materials and modern analogues
into a compelling narrative that is at once intelligent inquiry and
absorbing story.
K.’s arrangement is both chronological and thematic. Chapters 1, 2 and 3
are primarily chronological: “The Origins of Rome,” “The Republic,”
“Twelve Caesars.” Rather than detail every event of Rome’s emergence,
K. selects those from myth and legendary history that provide insight into
Roman character and self-understanding. Sketches of the seven hills of Rome
and the harbor at Ostia would be useful complements to his excellent
description of the site of Rome. K.’s narration of historical events is
given texture and substance by quotations from a wide range of
authors—some rather humorous, showing a less severe side of the
Romans—and by vignettes of major figures.
The next five chapters are arranged by topic: “Religions and
Mythology,” “Society and Daily Life,” “Art, Architecture, and
Building,” “Latin Literature” and “The Roman Army.” The chapter
on religion is impressive for its full presentation and interpretation of
Roman beliefs and practices; it is sub-divided into Roman divinities,
prayer and sacrifice, omens, worship in the home, worship in the fields,
religion of the state, cults of the East, religious philosophies, Jews and
Christians. Defining the nature of Roman prayer and sacrifice, K. writes:
“The contractual relationship between mankind and the gods involved each
party in giving, and in return receiving, services…. The ‘services’
by which Romans hoped to influence the forces that guided their lives were
firmly established in ritual—the ritual of prayer and the ritual of
offering. In either case, the exact performance of the rite was
essential.” A chart of gods, goddesses and spirits is conveniently set at
the opening of the chapter (pp. 75–6); although lesser gods are included,
Hekate, Italia and Roma are not. Augury is described (p. 84), but is
omitted from the list of divinatory practices (p. 77) inherited from the
Etruscans. “Latin Literature” opens with brief references to dialects,
orality and books, followed by a discussion of meter and scansion; the rest
of the chapter is divided into summaries of the life and works of leading
authors by genre. Chapter 8 is dedicated to the military; excellent as it
is, a much earlier presentation of this institution so crucial to Rome’s
survival would have been desirable, although certainly after “Society and
Daily Life.” With “The Empire: Stability, Disintegration, Recovery,
Fall,” K. returns to a chronological arrangement that catapults the
reader from 96 CE to the fall of the Western Empire, concluding with the
Eastern Empire’s collapse in 1453 and Rome’s legacy.
Four maps, clearly labeled with places referenced, open the book: Italy;
Roman Empire: provinces at Julius Caesar’s death; Roman Empire: imperial
and senatorial provinces at Augustus’ death; Roman Empire and its
neighbors under Hadrian. There are five appendices: the first two
(“Calendar,” “Numerals”) are substantially the same as in the first
edition; an expanded “Historical Timeline” (3000 BCE – 1453 CE) is
divided by sub-headings; and “Literature Timeline” (753 BCE – 395
CE), including Greek authors as well as Roman, is new, as is “Glossary of
Latin Terms,” a kindness to the Latin-less reader. The “Reading List”
that ended the first edition is now “Further Reading,” updated and
enlarged, and closing each chapter. The book ends with “General
Introductions,” with suggested readings less focused than in the first
edition on Roman Britain, and “Useful Works of Reference.”
While I am loathe to criticize a work which at once so expertly and
enjoyably fulfills its promise to introduce readers to the Romans, I offer
four suggestions that might be implemented immediately on the website and
eventually in another edition:
1. The chapter on “Art, Architecture, and Building” is oddly
restricted, perhaps by its announced focus: “the development of the arch,
the vault, and the dome, and the use of concrete … gave distinction,
serviceability, and grandeur to Roman domestic and public architecture and
civil engineering.” Equally significant is how art and engineering were
pressed into service to express, implement and export the concept of
Romanitas. More might also be said about the role Roman roads played in
extending and insuring empire, and the visual impact and function of
particular constructions (Roman Forum, Imperial Fora, Ara Pacis).
2. A reorganization of Chapter 3 not based on Suetonius’ “Lives of the
Twelve Caesars,” a biography of great men, would better reflect Roman
history and current historiography. It is true that in the last 100 years
of the Republic powerful individuals stepped forward to violently sideline
an increasingly dysfunctional Senate and dominate Roman government
extra-constitutionally, and thus set the course of Roman history. But
Suetonius’ model downplays some key events and personalities (namely,
Cicero), while spotlighting the three failed imperial claimants of 69 CE.
Furthermore, it privileges the Julio-Claudian and Flavian emperors and
1st-century CE Rome over distinguished emperors and achievements of the 2nd
century (currently consigned to “The Empire: Stability, Disintegration,
Recovery, Fall”). Perhaps Chapter 3 might be renamed “Transition and
Early Empire: 49 BCE – 69 CE,” followed by “High Empire: 69–180
CE” on the period from the Flavians to the last of the “Five Good
Emperors.”
3. Although K. cites from a variety of Cicero’s works, and references to
him appear under four headings (Twelve Caesars, p. 37; Religious
philosophies, p. 96; Education, p. 124; Letters, p. 170), Cicero and his
achievements are under-represented. This may be due to the absence of a
section on Rhetoric (thus only Cicero’s speeches against Verres and
Catiline are mentioned, p. 38). But K.’s references to Cicero are
nonetheless dismissive (“an alleged conspiracy against the state led by
Lucius Sergius Catilina”; “the watershed in Cicero’s career … came
in 61 BC, when he appeared in court … as a witness…”, p. 38, emphases
added) and minimizing (Cicero’s contribution to religious philosophy is
noted as his endorsement of Stoic teachings in Tusculan Disputation, p. 96;
none of his philosophical works are mentioned under literature, p. 169).
4. “Society and Daily Life” is uneven and sometimes confusing,
over-generalizing or rushed; although mores are addressed throughout the
book, particularly in generous captions to images, 1200 years of social
history are compressed into this single chapter. Presentation of class and
traditional values with expanded treatment of the seminal cliens-patronus
relationship (pp. 101–4) would be helpful earlier, in “The Republic”
following the Twelve Tables (p. 19). The sections on food and public games
display K.’s talent for creatively selecting and combining details into
readable and informative prose. While the change from “Place of Women”
(first edition) to “The Role of Women” and the greater inclusion of
women are welcome, K.’s presentation, apart from his opening discussion
on marriage, generalizes over huge periods of time and tends to reinscribe
the Roman bias against women. The demonstration against the Oppian Law (195
BCE), for example, is offered as an instance of women being “capable of
standing up for themselves when aroused” (p. 111), but only Cato’s
denouncement of their behavior is quoted. Lucretia is cited as
“technically and … legally, guilty” of adultery under the law of the
time (p. 113). Octavia is praised as “the most patient wife” (p. p.
115), but she better exemplifies the tradition of arranging marriages for
aristocratic women to meet the political or social goals of the family’s
males. The paragraph on work (p. 113) fails to take account of class
differences among women. The negative portraits of Livia and Agrippina
accompanied by flip remarks do not help us understand Roman women nor even
Roman empresses. Cornelia, daughter of Cornelius Scipio and Scribonia, is a
better example of the expectations of elite Roman matronae; from the grave
she represents herself as a blameless wife to her husband, L. Aemelius
Paullus Lepidus (Propertius, Elegiae 4.11).
This is an admirable introduction to the Romans for our time. Well-grounded
in ancient sources and solid research, it will instruct and delight the
general reader and be a popular class text for courses in Roman
civilization and history.
ANN R. RAIA
The College of New Rochelle
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