Roman Honor: The Fire in the Bones

Carlin A. Barton

Published by University of California Press 2023

Roman Honor

The Fire in the Bones

Carlin A. Barton

https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520925649

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book is an attempt to coax Roman history closer to the bone, to the breath and matter of the living being. Drawing from a remarkable array of ancient and modern sources, Carlin Barton offers the most complex understanding to date of the emotional and spiritual life of the ancient Romans. Her provocative and original inquiry focuses on the sentiments of honor that shaped the Romans' sense of themselves and their society. Speaking directly to the concerns and curiosities of the contemporary reader, Barton brings Roman society to life, elucidating the complex relation between the inner life of its citizens and its social fabric. Though thoroughly grounded in the ancient writings—especially the work of Seneca, Cicero, and Livy—this book also draws from contemporary theories of the self and social theory to deepen our understanding of ancient Rome. Barton explores the relation between inner desires and social behavior through an evocative analysis of the operation, in Roman society, of contests and ordeals, acts of supplication and confession, and the sense of shame. As she fleshes out Roman physical and psychological life, she particularly sheds new light on the consequential transition from republic to empire as a watershed of Roman social relations. Barton's ability to build productively on both old and new scholarship on Roman history, society, and culture and her imaginative use of a wide range of work in such fields as anthropology, sociology, psychology, modern history, and popular culture will make this book appealing for readers interested in many subjects. This beautifully written work not only generates insight into Roman history, but also uses that insight to bring us to a new understanding of ourselves, our modern codes of honor, and why it is that we think and act the way we do.

Author / Editor information

Barton Carlin A. :

Carlin A. Barton is Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of The Sorrows of the Ancient Romans (1993).

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
PREFACE Publicly Available Download PDF	XI
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	XIII
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. A Sort of Prelude: The Tao of the Romans Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	18
PART 1 • THE MOMENT OF TRUTH IN ANCIENT ROME
3. Light and Fire Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
4. Stone and Ice: The Remedies of Dishonor Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	88
PART 2 • CONFESSION AND THE ROMAN SOUL
5. The Spirit Speaking Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
6. Confession and the Remedies of Defeat Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
PART 3 • ON THE WIRE
7. The Poise of Shame Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	199
8. The Poison of Shame—and Its Antidotes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	244
9. Conclusions: Choosing Life Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	270
Philosophical Coda: The Sentiment and the Symbol Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	289
BIBLIOGRAPHY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	297
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	317

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