The Legacy of Rome: A New Appraisal
Published on 27. February 1992
Book
Hardback
516 pages
978-0-19-821917-0 (ISBN)
Description
The achievements of the Roman world have profoundly affected European and world civilization. The original Legacy of Rome, edited by Cyril Bailey, was published in 1923 and has been widely read and enjoyed. Nearly seventy years on, this new edition, illustrated with 24 pages of plates, offers an entirely fresh assessment of the influence of ancient Rome on the literature, art, culture, thought, and governance of later times.
Fourteen contributors from a variety of disciplines each bring their individual knowledge and experience to the subjects discussed. Classical scholars consider the influence of Virgil, Horace, Ovid, pastoral, satire, and rhetoric. Historians assess Rome's impact through the ages, and textual transmission. Art, architecture, law, drama, and language are also individually discussed. The varied approach and content of this new appraisal bear witness to the richness of the civilization which forms such a large part of our heritage today.
Fourteen contributors from a variety of disciplines each bring their individual knowledge and experience to the subjects discussed. Classical scholars consider the influence of Virgil, Horace, Ovid, pastoral, satire, and rhetoric. Historians assess Rome's impact through the ages, and textual transmission. Art, architecture, law, drama, and language are also individually discussed. The varied approach and content of this new appraisal bear witness to the richness of the civilization which forms such a large part of our heritage today.
Reviews / Votes
`handsome collection of essays ... here there is palpable treasure ... Richard Jenkyns writes wittily and beautifully on the tradition of the pastoral ... Jasper Griffin is vivid and eloquent on Virgil's protean nature ... Geoffrey Waywell contributes a lucid and absorbing piece on Rome's influence on European art.'Elspeth Barker, Independent on Sunday `The essays range broadly ... and scrupulously avoid overplaying the Classical hand ... Those who value it should not miss out on these two superb collections.'
Peter Jones, Sunday Telegraph (refers also to the Legacy of Greece) 'here there is palpable treasure, statues and books, laws and roads and buildings ... Richard Jenkyns writes wittily and beautifully on the tradition of the pastoral.'
Elspeth Barker, Independent on Sunday 'the volume will be extremely useful as a reference guide, and will of course stand as a collective statement of how scholars at present understood the nature and status of the European classical heritage.'
Times Educational Supplement 'The legacy of Rome is very substantial, and when combined with the more immediately exciting Greek inheritance (philosophy, tragedy, democracy), it offers a cultural and educational programme of unparalleled power.'
Times Literary Supplement 'a surprisingly refreshing and rewarding read despite the academic clout behind the contributions ... The Romans' impact on law, architecture, art, literature and practically everything else is considered in enlightening detail.'
Herald Express 'It is the function of legacies to be ample and timely. This book fulfills both expectations: a wide range of essays, written at a time when our knowledge and our means of organizing our facts have dramatically increased since the first version of this book appeared in 1923. The appearance of this volume at this time may betoken persistent belief that Rome has something to teach others besides classicists and legacy hunters. May its resources transmit this belief into yet other generations.'
Charles Witke, The University of Michigan, Bryn Mawr Classical Review (1992) 'The first Legacy of Rome (1923) has had a good run for its money and a replacement was overdue ... Jenkyns's introductory chapter, 'The legacy of Rome', itself includes some excellent pages on language and (especially prose) literature.'
E.J. Kenney, The Classical Review, Vol. XLIII, No. 1, 1993
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
24 pp black and white plates, 2 maps, tables
Dimensions
Height: 224 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 43 mm
Weight
814 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-821917-0 (9780198219170)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Content
Notes on Contributors; List of Plates; 1. The Legacy of Rome; 2. The Transmission of Texts; 3. The Middle Ages; 4. The Renaissance; 5. Virgil; 6. Pastoral; 7. Horace, Ovid, and Others; 8. Satire; 9. Drama; 10. Rhetoric; 11. Art; 12 Architecture; 13. Language; 14. Law; 15. The City of Rome; Index