Few encounters in antiquity have had more profound consequences
than that between Greek culture and Republican Rome. Focusing on
the ruling elites of the middle and later Republic, for whom
Hellenic literature, religion, and visual arts were at once
intimidating and appealing, Erich S. Gruen offers a compelling
account of the assimilation and adaptation of Greek culture by the
Romans.
Gruen examines such key cultural developments in the history of
Republican Rome as the adaptation of the legend of Troy to create a
special place for Rome within Hellenic traditions and Cato's
campaign to distinguish Roman cultural achievements by defining
them in contrast to those of the Greeks. He describes the diverse
purposes civic, religious, and political for which the Romans used
Greek art, as well as the reshaping of Hellenic models to express a
distinctively Roman character in historical reliefs, portraiture,
and comic drama. The book treats a variety of means whereby the
Greek legacy was molded to suit the living Roman tradition. Gruen
shows that this complex process of cultural transformation served
to sharpen the Romans' sense of their own values their national
character, and their international image.
Demonstrating that the Roman response to Hellenism was far more
subtle and dynamic than has generally been acknowledged, Culture
and National Identity in Republican Rome will be welcomed as an
outstanding contribution by readers interested in ancient history,
classical literature, and the history of art."
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