The Nelson Institute presents: Murder, Mayhem, and Megalomania: The rise of authoritarianism in Ancient Rome. A talk by Assoc. Prof. Gwynaeth McIntyre (Classics Programme, University of Otago).
2pm, Saturday 11 April, at the Suter Theatre. Tickets: $10
The first century BCE was a time of immense upheaval in Rome. The Roman political systems strained under the pressure from both internal and external threats. Civil wars raged. Individual generals seeking more power and political control manipulated existing political systems and traditions to legitimize novel positions within Rome’s government.
This talk examines some of the strategies individuals such as Sulla, Julius Caesar, and Augustus used to consolidate power. It begins by examining how Sulla placated the aristocracy and other high-ranking members of the Roman Senate while penalizing those who opposed him. It explores the rise of populism and how Julius Caesar leveraged his popular support to position himself as the leading politician in Rome; he made sweeping changes to political, religious, and social conventions – even changing the way people viewed time [a calendar that still influences our calendar to this day]. Finally, it discusses how the Roman Republic, whose foundation narrative reinforced Rome’s rejection of kings, ultimately accepted Augustus as “first citizen” leading to centuries of autocratic rule.
As we see the rise of populism and authoritarian rule throughout our 21st century world, there is much to be learned from how the Romans grappled with these same challenges over 2 millennia ago.As a broadly-trained ancient historian, Gwynaeth's research focuses on political, social, and religious history of the ancient world and the ways in which mythology and religion define particular communities or groups of communities. She has most recently published a book (2016) and a dedicated journal volume (2019) on the worship of the Roman imperial family and a co-edited a volume on the Roman mythological figure, Anna Perenna. Her on-going research focuses specifically on the ways in which mythology and religion were used by members of the Roman imperial family to justify and legitimize their power.
