This edited volume brings a variety of approaches to the problem of how the Romans conceived of their history, what were the mechanisms for their preservation of the past, and how did the Romans come to write about their past.
Building on important recent work in historiography, and the recent memory turn, the authors consider the practicalities of transmission, literary and generic influences, and the role of the city of Rome in preserving and transmitting memories of the past.
The result is a major contribution to our understanding of the role history played in Roman life, and the kinds of evidence which could be deployed in constructing Roman history.
Christopher Smith (DPhil 1992, Oxford) is Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews and was from 2009 to 2017 Director of the British School at Rome. He was one of the editors of The Fragments of the Roman Historians (Oxford, 2013).
Kaj Sandberg (PhD 1991, Turku Academy) is Researcher at Åbo Akademi University and was from 2006 to 2009 Director of the Finish Institute in Rome. He has published a number of articles and monographs on Republican Rome, including Magistrates and Assemblies: A study of Legislative Practice in Republican Rome (Rome, 2001).
Contributors are: Hans Beck, Seth Bernard, Vera Binder, Martine Chassignet, Gabriele Cifani, Tim Cornell, Penelope Davies, Massimiliano di Fazio, Karl Hölkeskamp, Duncan MacRae, Dennis Pausch, Francisco Pina Polo, John Rich, Andrew Riggsby, Kaj Sandberg, Marianna Scapini, Christopher Smith, Henriette van der Blom.
Anyone interested in Roman Republican history and historiography, and also the fields of antiquarianism, oratory and archaeology.