07-29-2013, 02:40 PM
I only glanced through the article, so bear that in mind if I'm repeating stuff.
Firstly the problem with "motivation" is that it assumes a certain level of corelation between how the ancients thought and we think. So many of the gestures in Roman culture we laugh at or think of as absurd made absolute sense to them. Everything from shifting through bird shit to, yes, communing with the gods.
Many of Gaius' exploits as reported throughout the sources seem to be relatively consistent with, or clever reworkings of, typical Roman behaviour. Though that is not to exonerate him and he certainly was weirder than the others.
Also examination of the epigraphic evidence seems to suggest that overall, he did ok. Neronian sources like Seneca also paint a completely different picture.
Monster? Sure if you've got a few million and a famous name and resident in Rome or nearby coloniae. Much of the hostility towards the emperors in (relatively) recent scholarship has been due to the erroneous kinship felt between academics and the senatorial elite. Or in the deliberate use of Rome as a malum exemplum post Luther.
Firstly the problem with "motivation" is that it assumes a certain level of corelation between how the ancients thought and we think. So many of the gestures in Roman culture we laugh at or think of as absurd made absolute sense to them. Everything from shifting through bird shit to, yes, communing with the gods.
Many of Gaius' exploits as reported throughout the sources seem to be relatively consistent with, or clever reworkings of, typical Roman behaviour. Though that is not to exonerate him and he certainly was weirder than the others.
Also examination of the epigraphic evidence seems to suggest that overall, he did ok. Neronian sources like Seneca also paint a completely different picture.
Monster? Sure if you've got a few million and a famous name and resident in Rome or nearby coloniae. Much of the hostility towards the emperors in (relatively) recent scholarship has been due to the erroneous kinship felt between academics and the senatorial elite. Or in the deliberate use of Rome as a malum exemplum post Luther.
Jass
