Search engine for discovering works of Art, research articles, and books related to Art and Culture
Javascript must be enabled to continue!
Δημοκρατεῖσθαι or μοναρχεῖσθαι, That is the Question: Cassius Dio and the Senatorial Principate
View through CrossRef
Cassius Dio’s account of Caligula’s principate pivots on the divide between Caligula’s ‘democratic’ debut and his later decline into despotism. As Dio reports, the murder of the emperor in 41 CE polarised the Senate on the question of whether to abolish the Principate or to confirm it. It is likely that Dio’s interest in such a crucial passage depends on his own experience of the end of Commodus and the accession of Pertinax in 192-193 CE. The underpinning of his political thought is Stoic: when the relationship between the princeps and the Senate collapses, the solution is not so much ‘republicanism’ as a ‘republican spirit’, to be intended as a fruitful cooperation between the two.
Title: Δημοκρατεῖσθαι or μοναρχεῖσθαι, That is the Question: Cassius Dio and the Senatorial Principate
Description:
Cassius Dio’s account of Caligula’s principate pivots on the divide between Caligula’s ‘democratic’ debut and his later decline into despotism.
As Dio reports, the murder of the emperor in 41 CE polarised the Senate on the question of whether to abolish the Principate or to confirm it.
It is likely that Dio’s interest in such a crucial passage depends on his own experience of the end of Commodus and the accession of Pertinax in 192-193 CE.
The underpinning of his political thought is Stoic: when the relationship between the princeps and the Senate collapses, the solution is not so much ‘republicanism’ as a ‘republican spirit’, to be intended as a fruitful cooperation between the two.
Related Results
Misunderstanding History: Past and Present in Cassius Dio’s Contemporary Books
Misunderstanding History: Past and Present in Cassius Dio’s Contemporary Books
At the heart of Cassius Dio’s Roman History was the charting of changes in government from the early kings to the monarchy established by Augustus, with particular emphasis on the ...
Cassius Dio’s Ideal Government and the Imperial Senate
Cassius Dio’s Ideal Government and the Imperial Senate
This chapter argues that Dio envisioned a surprisingly minimalist role for the Senate in his ideal government: magistrates and advisors were drawn from the senators, but the empero...
The ‘Age of Iron and Rust’ in Cassius Dio’s Roman History: Influences from Stoic Philosophy
The ‘Age of Iron and Rust’ in Cassius Dio’s Roman History: Influences from Stoic Philosophy
This paper discusses the impact of Stoic philosophy on Cassius Dio’s imperial books of his Roman History. It is demonstrated how fundamental Stoic ideas influenced Dio’s constituti...
‘Ritorno alla monarchia’, tra Cesare e Augusto: le origini del principato in Cassio Dione
‘Ritorno alla monarchia’, tra Cesare e Augusto: le origini del principato in Cassio Dione
For Cassius Dio, there was no continuity between Republic and Principate. The Republic ended between 43 (institution of the triumvirate) and 42 BC (battle of Philippi); the ‘monarc...
Between Civilitas and Tyranny: Cassius Dio’s Biographical Narrative of the Flavian Dynasty
Between Civilitas and Tyranny: Cassius Dio’s Biographical Narrative of the Flavian Dynasty
In Cassius Dio’s account of imperial Rome, the Flavian Dynasty represents all the strengths and weaknesses of monarchical rule. The strength is represented with Vespasian, his disp...
Reconstructing Republican Oratory in Cassius Dio’s Roman History
Reconstructing Republican Oratory in Cassius Dio’s Roman History
AbstractThis chapter explores the way in which Cassius Dio—a third-century Greek historian of the Roman Republic—used published oratory of the late Republic as a basis for his own ...
Identity Theft: Doubles and Masquerades in Cassius Dio's Contemporary History
Identity Theft: Doubles and Masquerades in Cassius Dio's Contemporary History
The contemporary books of Cassius Dio's Roman History are known (to the extent that they are read) for their anecdotal quality and lack of interpretive sophistication. This paper a...
Cassius Dio on Septimius Severus’ decennalia and ludi saeculares
Cassius Dio on Septimius Severus’ decennalia and ludi saeculares
The epitome of Cassius Dio’s book 77[76] contains a description of various celebrations that took place in 202–4 CE. The lack of clarity in this passage has led scholars to attribu...