A thrilling exploration of what Romans thought about their emperors, and how rumors and gossip-ranging from new taxes to rulers' sex lives-shaped leadership
Traversing more than seven hundred years of Roman history, this book explores how everyday Romans swapped gossip, spread rumors, told jokes, and chanted protests about their emperors-activity that amounted to much more than idle chatter. Caillan Davenport uses ancient evidence, including letters, graffiti, and songs, to reveal how Romans engaged in politics outside the senate house or imperial council. He argues that the idea of the Roman emperor was shaped not only by the political powers granted to him but also by the debate taking place in the streets, churches, taverns, and markets.
Davenport reveals how Romans spoke about "the emperor" as a figure of stability, as an agent of justice and retribution, or as a fallible human. Although few would ever see an emperor, his face (and therefore his power) was everywhere: on coins, banners, standards, and even dessert molds, as well as in statuary and paintings. While most Romans did not question the transformation of their republic into a monarchical system of government, they were indeed invested in the empire and were in constant discussion about the type of ruler they had, wanted, and deserved.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"This first-of-its-kind book sets back into motion the rumor mills and gossip circles that fed a fifty-million-person imperial audience hungry for news from an autocracy deliciously incapable of controlling the spread of information about itself-long before the rise of social media."-Noel Lenski, author of Constantine and the Cities: Imperial Authority and Civic Politics
"Caillan Davenport gives us a new history of the emperors-told not from the palace, but through the voices of their subjects. Wide-ranging and authoritative, it is essential reading for anyone interested in Roman imperial power."-Kathryn Tempest, author of Brutus: The Noble Conspirator
"Behind Caesar's Back is a tour through Roman imperial history on the wings of rumor and gossip. At once juicy and profound, Davenport's book makes a compelling case that the constant and ubiquitous conversation about the emperor offers a royal road to understanding the power dynamics of imperial rule."-Kyle Harper, author of The Fate of Rome
"Forever walking the tightrope between enlightened despot and tyrant, the Roman emperors were a precarious manifestation of monarchy in the ancient world. Davenport's fascinating book assesses how the emperor was perceived by those he ruled."-Guy de la Bedoyere, author of Gladius and Populus
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Maße
Höhe: 235 mm
Breite: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-300-27645-9 (9780300276459)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Caillan Davenport is professor of classics and head of the Centre for Classical Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. He is the author of A History of the Roman Equestrian Order, winner of the Gladstone Book Prize. He lives in Canberra, Australia.
