Valorizing the Barbarians: Enemy Speeches in Roman Historiography

284 Pages·2011·0.34 MB·English

by  Eric Adler

Valorizing the BarBarians
Ashley and Peter Larkin Series in Greek and Roman Culture
Enemy Speeches
Valorizing
in Roman
the BarBarians
Historiography
eric adler
UniVersity of texas Press
Austin
Copyright © 2011 by the University of Texas Press
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Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2011
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♾ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements
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liBrary of congress cataloging-in-PUBlication data
Adler, Eric, 1973–
 Valorizing the Barbarians : enemy speeches in Roman historiography /
by Eric D. Adler. — 1st ed.
  p.  cm. — (Ashley and Peter Larkin series in Greek and Roman
culture)
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 isBn 978-0-292-72628-4 (cloth : alk. paper)
 1. Rome—History—Empire, 30 B.C.–284 A.D.—Historiography. 
2. Imperialism—Historiography. 3. Enemies—Rome—Provinces—
Historiography. 4. Roman provinces—Historiography. 5. Speeches,
addresses, etc., Latin—History and criticism. 6. Mithridates VI
Eupator, King of Pontus, ca. 132–63 B.C. 7. Hannibal, 247–182 B.C. 
8. Boadicea, Queen, d. 62. 9. Rome—Foreign public opinion. 
10. Rome—Intellectual life. I. Title.
dg271.a35 2011 937′.03072—dc22
2011003847
isBn: 978-0-292-72991-9 (E-book)
For my parents
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contents
acknowledgments ix
aUthor’s note xi
introdUction 1
Part i: mithridates and the east 15
Chapter 1
“a deeP-seated lUst for emPire and riches”:
sallUst’s Epistula Mithridatis 17
Chapter 2
“their whole PoPUlation has the sPirit
of wolVes”: PomPeiUs trogUs’
sPeech of mithridates 37
Part ii: hanniBal and carthage 59
Chapter 3
“he considered it to Be in no way worthy
to contemPlate the hoPe of liVing defeated”:
PolyBiUs’ sPeeches of hanniBal 61
Chapter 4
“nothing at all has Been left to Us, excePt
that which we defend with arms”:
liVy’s hanniBal 83
viii contents
Part iii: BoUdica and Britain 117
Chapter 5
“men might liVe and Be slaVes”:
tacitUs’ sPeech of BoUdica 119
Chapter 6
“slaVes to a Bad lyre-Player”:
cassiUs dio’s sPeech of BoUdica 141
Chapter 7
conclUsions 163
Appendix
texts and translations of the
sPeeches examined at length 177
notes 211
works cited 247
index 265
acknowledgments
This book began its life as a doctoral dissertation in classical studies at Duke
University. Accordingly, I would like to thank my dissertation committee:
Mary T. Boatwright, Kent Rigsby, Diskin Clay, Grant Parker, and George
Houston. I am particularly indebted to Mary Boatwright, who served as my
advisor at Duke and has aided me immeasurably, both during and after my
graduate career.
Various colleagues at Connecticut College have selflessly offered me guid-
ance: Dirk Held, Richard Moorton, David Greven, Lindsey Harlan, Geof-
frey Atherton, and Andrew Pessin. Richard Moorton deserves special men-
tion, since he greatly improved my clunky translations. As a faculty member
at Connecticut College, I was fortunate to receive summer research stipends
from Judith Opatrny.
Thanks are also due to Gregory Nagy, who allowed me access to the Center
for Hellenic Studies during the summer of 2008. Temple Wright and the staff
at the Center were helpful as well. During that summer I used the house of
my sister, Amy Adler, and my brother-in-law, Mike Donahue, as home base
for my research, and I would like to acknowledge their kindness to me.
An earlier iteration of small portions of chapters 1 and 2 originally appeared
in Classical Journal (“Who’s Anti-Roman? Sallust and Pompeius Trogus on
Mithridates,” CJ 101 [2006]: 383–407). I would like to thank S. Douglas
Olson for permitting me to reprint an altered and expanded version of that
article. The same thanks are due to Matthew S. Santirocco, since small por-
tions of chapters 5 and 6 originally appeared in different form in Classical
World (“Boudica’s Speeches in Tacitus and Dio,” CW 101 [2008]: 173–195).
Various scholars offered me good advice during the long process of ex-
panding and altering my dissertation into a monograph: Alexander Beecroft,
Scott McGill, Christopher Nappa, and Jeffrey Stackert. I fear I have for-
gotten to name others; if so, I apologize.
I owe a debt of gratitude also to the staff at the University of Texas Press,
especially Jim Burr, Leslie Tingle, Kerri Cox Sullivan, and Nancy Bryan. The