Roman Civilization

CMS 206 /History 206

Assigned Readings This Week:

• ARC - 142-156 [The Commercial City]
• RCv1 - 165 (472-474) [Occupations]; 167 (484-486) [Equites]; 169 (487-489) [Publicans]; 187 (534-537)
• RCv2 - 12-14 (41-50) [Senate & Senators; Equites]; 42 (151-154) [Juvenal on Wealth & Misery]; ; 70 &endash;72 (255-259) [Public & Private Philanthropy];
• re-read: Commentariolum, [RCiv, v. I, #155] A complete text is available on the web.

Additional Readings:

• Horace, Satires 1.6
• Cicero, On Friendship
• Andrew Riggsby, Self and Community in the Younger Pliny
• some letters of Pliny to his friends
  • To Cornelius Tacitus (scroll down to #4)
  • To Calestrius Tiro (scroll down to # 8)
  • To Junius Mauricus (scroll down to #10)
  • To Romanus Firmus (scroll down to #13)
  • To Avitus (scroll down to #19)
  • To Priscus (scroll down to #21)

Questions to Consider:

• What was the relationship between patronage and political elections in Rome.
• Were Horace and Maecenas "friends," the way you are with your friends? How? How not?
• Consider Cicero's discussion of friendship. How do Scipio's friends characterize the nature of amicitia in general and their specific friendships? What do they think is the relationship of duty and affection in the relationship? Do they draw a distinction between the operation of friendship in public and private life? What do you think Cicero imagined the relationship between patronage and friendship to be?
• Compare Cicero's answer to that of Pliny the Younger, as described by Riggsby and as represented in his letters.
• On a related note, what type of world does Cicero draw for us in this dialogue. He is writing a work on friendship in the form of a dialogue between famous historical Romans, dedicated to his own friend Atticus. In this work, he "represents" Romanitas, whether consciously or not. Given the representation of Romanitas in the de Amicitia, what do you think Cicero understood it to be? Who is included in Cicero's vision and who is excluded? Is Pliny's vision different than Cicero's?
• Why did Senators object so to trade and the professions? Why did they cultivate literary activity?
• What prompted the Gracchan reforms?
• Who were more revolutionary, the Gracchi or their opponents? Why?