
Community and Communication
Oratory and Politics in Republican Rome
Oxford University Press
Published on 3. January 2013
Book
Hardback
414 pages
978-0-19-964189-5 (ISBN)
Description
Community and Communication: Oratory and Politics in Republican Rome brings together nineteen international contributions which rethink the role of public speech in the Roman Republic. Speech was an integral part of decision-making in Republican Rome, and oratory was part of the education of every member of the elite. Yet no complete speech from the period by anyone other than Cicero survives, and as a result the debate on oratory, and political practice more widely, is liable to be distorted by the distinctive features of Cicero's oratorical practice.
With careful attention to a wide range of ancient evidence, this volume shines a light on orators other than Cicero, and considers the oratory of diplomatic exchanges and impromptu heckling and repartee alongside the more familiar genres of forensic and political speech. In doing so, it challenges the idea that Cicero was a normative figure, and highlights the variety of career choices and speech strategies open to Roman politicians. The essays in the volume also demonstrate how unpredictable the outcomes of oratory were: politicians could try to control events by cherry-picking their audience and using tried methods of persuasion, but incompetence, bad luck, or hostile listeners were constant threats.
With careful attention to a wide range of ancient evidence, this volume shines a light on orators other than Cicero, and considers the oratory of diplomatic exchanges and impromptu heckling and repartee alongside the more familiar genres of forensic and political speech. In doing so, it challenges the idea that Cicero was a normative figure, and highlights the variety of career choices and speech strategies open to Roman politicians. The essays in the volume also demonstrate how unpredictable the outcomes of oratory were: politicians could try to control events by cherry-picking their audience and using tried methods of persuasion, but incompetence, bad luck, or hostile listeners were constant threats.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
The volume will be of interest to scholars and graduate students in Classics and Ancient History, especially those focusing on Roman rhetoric and oratory.
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
784 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-964189-5 (9780199641895)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Henriette van der Blom Catherine Steel
Community and Communication
Oratory and Politics in Republican Rome
E-Book
11/2012
1st Edition
OUP Oxford
€148.09
Available for download
Persons
Catherine Steel is Professor of Classics at the University of Glasgow, and is author of numerous books and articles on Cicero, Roman oratory, and Roman political history.
Henriette van der Blom is Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford University and has previously published Cicero's Role Models (Oxford University Press, 2010) as well as articles on Cicero and Roman political life.
Henriette van der Blom is Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford University and has previously published Cicero's Role Models (Oxford University Press, 2010) as well as articles on Cicero and Roman political life.
Editor
Professor of Classics, University of Glasgow
Research Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford University
Content
ACKNOWLEDGEMNETS; LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS; LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS; INTRODUCTION; PART I: CITIZENS, SPEECH AND THE ROMAN RES PUBLICA; PART II: STRATEGY AND TACTICS IN PUBLIC SPEECH; PART III: JUDGMENTS AND CRITICISMS; PART IV: ROMANS AND NON-ROMANS; PART V: CICERO S RIVALS; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDICES