Episode 150 - Rhetorical Fireworks

05/09/24 • 91 min

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It is 403 BCE and we’re about to be blinded by some rhetorical fireworks. The situation between Rome and Veii is getting more serious.

Episode 150 – Rhetorical Fireworks

We've Got Chills, They're Speechifying!

As the Romans prepare for a long siege, the suggestion was casually made that the soldiers will need to remain in winter quarters. The Romans were not used to being in the field this long and the tribunes of the plebeians were immediately suspicious. Is this why military pay had just been introduced? To distract the people whilst forcing them to live in a state of slavery? Outrageous. Nonetheless, this is what the plebeians get when they keep electing patricians into office.

One of the military tribunes decides to hit back at the tribunes with their own epic speech. Who better for the task than the uber-patrician Appius Claudius? Let's watch those rhetorical fireworks fly!

Appius’ speech, with its’ mixture of conservatism and logic, is so effective that he wins some of the people over. As everything hangs in the balance, word reaches Rome of a serious setback at Veii. A sneaky night attack led to all the Roman siege equipment being destroyed by fire and some of the soldiers had died trying to extinguish the blaze.

Aule Metele (The Orator). A hollow-cast bronze showing an Etruscan male known as Aulus Metellus or Aule Metele in Roman-style clothing, dated to early 1st century BCE.. While this figure is not from our time period, the combination of Etruscan and Roman culture and the speechifying aspect of this statue seemed appropriate! Courtesy of https://www.collegesidekick.com/study-guides/boundless-arthistory/later-etruscan-art

This disaster tips the balance in favour of Appius’ arguments. Patricians and plebeians put their differences aside so that they could focus on the war effort. Those Etruscans were asking for it!

The senate no longer had to worry about whether the people were on board regarding winter service. Romans from various backgrounds were throwing themselves at the senate, begging to be allowed to go to war.

Who knew that war could make people so happy? That’s the Romans for you!

Please Sir. I Want Some... More?!

Camillus, one of the Furii clan, makes his debut in this year as one of the censors. In order to pay for some of these new expenses, the censors introduced some new taxes on unmarried men and ...orphans. Way to be harsh, Rome!

Our Players 403 BCE

Military Tribunes with Consular Power

M’. Aemilius Mam. f. M. n. Mamercinus (or Mamercus) (Pat) Cos. 410, Mil. Tr. c. p. 405, 401
L. Valerius L. f. P. n. Potitus (Pat) Cos. 392, Mil. Tr. c. p. 414, 406, 401, 398
Ap. Claudius P. f. Ap. n. Crassus Inregillensis (Pat) Cos. 349 ?
M. Quinctilius L. f. L. n. Varus (Pat)
L. Iulius Sp.? f. Vopisci? n. Iullus (Pat)
M. Furius – f. – n. Fusus (Pat)
? M. Postumius (Pat)
? M. Furius L. f. Sp. n. Camillus (Pat) Mil. Tr. c. p. 401, 398, 394, 386, 384, 381
? M. Postumius A. f. A. n. Albinus Regillensis (Pat) Mil. Tr. c. p. 426

Censors

M. Furius L. f. Sp. n. Camillus (Pat) Mil. Tr. c. p. 401, 398, 394, 386, 384, 381
M. Postumius A. f. A. n. Albinus Regillensis (Pat) Mil. Tr. c. p. 426

Our Sources

Dr Rad reads Livy, ab Urbe Condita, 5.1-5.7.
Dr G reads Plutarch, Life of Camillus, 1-3; Valerius Maximus 2.9.1; Diodorus Siculus, 14.35.1.
Bradley, G. 2020. Early Rome to 290 BC (Edinburgh University Press).
Broughton, T. R. S., Patterson, M. L. 1951. The Magistrates of the Roman Republic Volume 1: 509 B.C. – 100 B.C. (The American Philological Association)
Cornell, T. J. 1995. The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC) (Taylor & Francis)
Forsythe, G. 2006. A Critical History of Early Rome: From Prehistory to the First Punic War(University of California Press)
Lomas, Kathryn (2018). The rise of Rome. History of the Ancient World. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. doi:10.4159/9780674919938. ISBN 978-0-674-65965-0. S2CID 239349186.
Ogilvie, R. M. 1965. A Commentary on Livy: Books 1-5 (Cla...

It is 403 BCE and we’re about to be blinded by some rhetorical fireworks. The situation between Rome and Veii is getting more serious.

Episode 150 – Rhetorical Fireworks

We've Got Chills, They're Speechifying!

This disaster tips the balance in favour of Appius’ arguments. Patricians and plebeians put their differences aside so that they could focus on the war effort. Those Etruscans were asking for it!

Who knew that war could make people so happy? That’s the Romans for you!

Please Sir. I Want Some... More?!

Our Players 403 BCE

Military Tribunes with Consular Power

M’. Aemilius Mam. f. M. n. Mamercinus (or Mamercus) (Pat) Cos. 410, Mil. Tr. c. p. 405, 401
L. Valerius L. f. P. n. Potitus (Pat) Cos. 392, Mil. Tr. c. p. 414, 406, 401, 398
Ap. Claudius P. f. Ap. n. Crassus Inregillensis (Pat) Cos. 349 ?
M. Quinctilius L. f. L. n. Varus (Pat)
L. Iulius Sp.? f. Vopisci? n. Iullus (Pat)
M. Furius – f. – n. Fusus (Pat)
? M. Postumius (Pat)
? M. Furius L. f. Sp. n. Camillus (Pat) Mil. Tr. c. p. 401, 398, 394, 386, 384, 381
? M. Postumius A. f. A. n. Albinus Regillensis (Pat) Mil. Tr. c. p. 426

Censors

M. Furius L. f. Sp. n. Camillus (Pat) Mil. Tr. c. p. 401, 398, 394, 386, 384, 381
M. Postumius A. f. A. n. Albinus Regillensis (Pat) Mil. Tr. c. p. 426

Our Sources

Dr Rad reads Livy, ab Urbe Condita, 5.1-5.7.
Dr G reads Plutarch, Life of Camillus, 1-3; Valerius Maximus 2.9.1; Diodorus Siculus, 14.35.1.
Bradley, G. 2020. Early Rome to 290 BC (Edinburgh University Press).
Broughton, T. R. S., Patterson, M. L. 1951. The Magistrates of the Roman Republic Volume 1: 509 B.C. – 100 B.C. (The American Philological Association)
Cornell, T. J. 1995. The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC) (Taylor & Francis)
Forsythe, G. 2006. A Critical History of Early Rome: From Prehistory to the First Punic War(University of California Press)
Lomas, Kathryn (2018). The rise of Rome. History of the Ancient World. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. doi:10.4159/9780674919938. ISBN 978-0-674-65965-0. S2CID 239349186.
Ogilvie, R. M. 1965. A Commentary on Livy: Books 1-5 (Cla...

Previous Episode

Exploring Place in Regal Rome with Neil, The Ancient Blogger - Part 1

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We are thrilled to sit down with Neil, The Ancient Blogger and host of the Ancient History Hound podcast to explore space and place in the Roman regal period.

Neil, or ancientblogger as he's more commonly known, studied ancient history at degree level and then completed an MA in Classical Civilisation. Though he has a full time job he spends most of his time creating content on Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok – just search for ancientblogger. He also has a website ancientblogger.com and several years ago started what is now the Ancient History Hound podcast, where he covers a wide array of topics from ancient history.

He also gets the chance to volunteer at schools around Brighton where he helps students with Greece and Rome, the latter usually whilst wearing his legionary armour. As his website states – he's all about ancient history and passionate about making the topic accessible to one and all.”

Special Episode – Exploring Place in Regal Rome with Neil, The Ancient Blogger – Part 1

Neil seems to have found himself in a museum of ancient vases while wearing a tshirt of ancient vases!

What was the landscape of regal Rome like?

There's no doubt that the topography of ancient Rome was very different to what we are able to see today. With the restraints around archaeological work you can expect in a city that is still as important and vibrant as the capital of Italy, it is partly through evidence on the ground and partly through reading the ancient sources that we can come to grips with what ancient Rome may have been like in its very early iterations.

The Palatine and the Aventine

Neil takes us through the importance of hills in general, in Italy, and for Rome in particular. Romulus has a connection with the Palatine hill and Remus is connected with the Aventine. Neil delves into the details of the wolves in this area including the development of the Lupercalia rites and the significance attached to blood sacrifice in cultivating the meaning of place.

The early pomerium

How did it the sacred boundary of Rome work? Where was it? What were the implications for trying to cross it with early armies? None of these questions can be answered definitely because evidence is thin on the ground archaeologically speaking, but considering later written sources offers some ways into the topic. Looking to read more on this topic, consider Koortbojian, M. 2020. Crossing the Pomerium: The Boundaries of Political, Religious, and Military Institutions from Caesar to Constantine (Princeton University Press)

The Campus Martius

The campus Martius ‘Field of Mars’ was the site of the potential murder of Romulus, Rome’s first king. The area covers a fair amount of land next to the Tiber and we consider some of its historical details.

The Tarpeian Rock

Bound up with the early defence of Rome is the Capitoline Hill where the earliest defences of the city were thought to have been built. We explore the stories that the Romans told about how the rock got its name. This leads into a consideration of how death was treated in respect to place.

The First Bridge over the Tiber

The Pons Sublicius was the first bridge recorded to cross the Tiber. Not only was the bridge of strategic importance, but it was also connection with rituals. Neil takes us through some of the geographical features of the Tiber and how understanding the ancient river is quite a different proposition to understanding the Tiber as it can be observed today.

The Janiculum and the Caelian

The importance of the Janiculum being on the far side of the Tiber as far as the Romans are concerned and the etymological possibilities for the names of some of the hills. The Caelian hill is often overlooked, but maybe it needs to find its spotlight especially for its connection to Numa, the second king.

Things to listen out for:

The Oracle at Dodona
Pallantium in Arcadia (Greece) and Evander
Zeus Xenia and Lyacon
The cultural significance of place and the development of the sacred
The sacrifice of Iphigenia
The clock face approach to understanding where the ancient hills of Rome were
Hercules and Cacus the Giant
Aelius Gellius’ Attic Nights
Miasma, the Ancient Greek understanding of pollution
Quintilian on the Tarpeian Rock
Horatius Cocles
The brontoscopic calendar of the Etruscans

Sound Credits

...

Next Episode

Special Episode - Ovid's Metamorphoses with Professor Stephanie McCarter

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It is not often that we get to say that there is a new translation of a classical text that has taken the world by storm. But that was exactly what happened when Professor Stephanie McCarter released her 2022 translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. We were honoured that Professor McCarter agreed to talk to us about the mysterious Ovid and her process of translation.

Stephanie McCarter is currently a Professor of Classics at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. She published a monograph entitled Horace between Freedom and Slavery: The First Book of Epistles in 2015 and a translation of Horace’s Epodes, Odes and Carmen Saeculare in 2020.

We would like to warn our listeners that this episode will touch on instances of violence and sexual assault. This is not one to listen to with the kids in the car.

Special Episode – Ovid's Metamorphoses with Professor Stephanie McCarter

Who was Ovid?

Ovid is one of our favourite Latin poets over at the Partial Historians. This is partially due to his work, which can be touching but also highly comedic. However, it is also because Ovid himself is hard to figure out.

He lived and worked during the reign of Augustus but claimed to have been exiled in approximately 8 CE. Academics are still trying to figure out what Ovid did that was so terrible... or whether he was making it up entirely!

Whatever he was up to, Ovid’s back catalogue is pretty impressive. He composed the Amores, the Heroides, the Fasti, the Ars amatoria, and his masterpiece, the Metamorphoses.

Translating Ovid for the 21st Century

Translation is an immensely difficult and often underappreciated task. We don’t mean getting out your dictionary and figuring out a passage here and there. We delve into the technique of translating an entire work, trying to make it accessible and enjoyable for a new generation, whilst staying true to the voice of the original author. Whew! What an undertaking.

Professor McCarter’s translation of the Metamorphoses is the first English translation of the work by a woman in many decades and it seems to have struck a nerve. There are many episodes of sexual violence in this work that have been softened or glossed over in previous translations. McCarter’s work aims to be more accurate and direct in the language, not shying away from the troubling aspects of these myths. This has allowed themes to emerge more clearly from text.

It was a delight to talk to someone as passionate and dedicated to their work as Professor McCarter. Her work highlights the way that translations often reflect the values of their creator and their context, hence the need for fresh interpretations.

Things to look out for:

The powerful art of Elizabeth Columba
An amazing New Yorker article on McCarter’s work
The uterus and double helix cleverly woven into the mind-blowing cover art for McCarter’s book by Aiko Tezuka
Professor McCarter makes reference to concordances as part of her process. These are essentially word indexes – very handy tools for translators!
Exciting news about McCarter’s next projects!

Sound Credits

Our music is by Bettina Joy de Guzman.

Automated Transcript

Generated by Otter AI.

Dr Rad 00:15

Welcome to the partial historians,

Dr G 00:18

we explore all the details of ancient Rome.

Dr Rad 00:23

Everything from political scandals, the love affairs, the battles waged, and when citizens turn against each other. I'm Dr. Rad. And

Dr G 00:33

I'm Dr. G. We consider Rome as the Roman saw it by reading different authors from the ancient past and comparing their stories.

Dr Rad 00:44

Join us as we trace the journey of Rome from the founding of this city. Hello, and welcome to a special episode of the partial historians. I am one of your hosts, Dr. Rad,

Dr G 01:06

and I'm Dr. G.

Dr Rad 01:09

Now, Dr. G, you know that I break out in a cold sweat at the thought of translating anything. It's

Dr G 01:16

true. I think I do as well at this point, I feel Yeah. So I'm

Dr Rad 01:20

super excited to have an expert in translation on our show. Today, we are going to be chatting to Stephanie McCarter, who is currently a Professor of Classics at the University of the Sout...