Practical Ethics for Roman Gentlemen: The Work of Valerius Maximus
Clive Skidmore
Abstract
This book presents a collection of historical anecdotes written during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius in the first century ad. The book aims to redefine the significance of the work of Valerius Maximus, author of The Memorable Deeds of the Men of Rome and Foreign Nations. It argues that modern scholarship's view of Valerius' work as a mere source-book for rhetoricians is misconceived. The popularity of the work during the Middle Ages and Renaissance was due to its value to the readers of those times as a source of moral exhortation and guidance that was as relevant to them as it had been to ... More
This book presents a collection of historical anecdotes written during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius in the first century ad. The book aims to redefine the significance of the work of Valerius Maximus, author of The Memorable Deeds of the Men of Rome and Foreign Nations. It argues that modern scholarship's view of Valerius' work as a mere source-book for rhetoricians is misconceived. The popularity of the work during the Middle Ages and Renaissance was due to its value to the readers of those times as a source of moral exhortation and guidance that was as relevant to them as it had been to Valerius' contemporaries. The wider appeal of the book lies in its examination of earlier forms of exemplary literature, in its discussion of how Roman literature was communicated to its audience, and in its original theory concerning the identity of Valerius Maximus himself.
Keywords:
historical anecdotes,
Emperor Tiberius,
first century,
Valerius Maximus,
rhetoricians,
Middle Ages,
Renaissance,
moral exhortation,
exemplary literature,
Roman literature
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 1996 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780859894777 |
| Published to Liverpool Scholarship Online: May 2014 |
DOI:10.5949/liverpool/9780859894777.001.0001 |
