Lezing Forum Antiquum 23 februari: professor Catherine Steel

Donderdag 23 februari houdt professor Catherine Steel (University of Glasgow) een lezing in het kader van Forum Antiquum. De lezing (in het Engels) is getiteld: The Roman Senate after Sulla: authority, advice and leadership. Iedereen is van harte uitgenodigd!

Catherine Steels onderzoek richt zich met name op Cicero en Romeinse retorica in de late republiek. Ze schreef onder andere de boeken Reading Cicero: Genre and Performance in Late Republican Rome (2005) en Roman Oratory (2006).

Inhoud lezing

Sulla fundamentally changed the nature of the Roman Senate, and consequently of the Roman res publica. These changes consisted in an increase in size, a corresponding change to its membership and the removal of methods of scrutiny for senatorial behaviour. Namely: non-senatorial jurors, the capacity of tribunes of the plebs to initiate legislation and institute inquiries, and, perhaps, the institution of the censorship. These changes were in addition to significant attrition among senior senators since 91.

The consequences included increased corruption by members of the Senate and, in response, popular dissatisfaction which, in spite of the changes to Sulla’s measures during the 70s B.C., contributed to popular legislative intervention in favour of Pompeius. Subsequent senatorial attempts to claim a broad mandate through popular legislation (such as the corn law in 57) failed, not least because the Senate was also associated with the suppression of popular measures and individuals (e.g. Catiline; collegia).

Locatie en tijd

De lezing start om 16.15 uur en vindt plaats in LIPSIUS/003 (in dezelfde zaal als vorige keer dus). 

Meer informatie

 
Voor meer informatie, zie de website van Forum Antiquum.