Politics and Power in the Early Roman Republic (509 – 264 BC) - 26-27/01/2016 Auckland (New Zealand)

Rome’s republican system of government represents one of the most important models in both ancient history and western political thought. Various interpretations of the city’s early political apparatus have been used as the cornerstone of political and philosophical discourse from the 2nd century BC to the present day, with many modern scholars and political theorists still debating the claim of Polybius that the Roman Republic represented the ideal form of government as it supposedly combined equal parts of monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy. And yet, despite its importance and the amount of ancient literary evidence related to it, the origins of this influential form of government remain largely unexplained – in large part because of their prehistoric character. Indeed, modern scholars working on early Rome have arguably seen any semblance of consensus on the topic dissolve in recent years, as increasingly critical interpretations of the extant sources, coupled with developments in the field of archaeology, have served to undercut some of the basic principles which hitherto supported our understanding.

Given the uncertainty which surrounds this vitally important period, there has been a renewal of interest in recent years and, with the assistance of an ever increasing archaeological record and new literary and historiographical methodologies (not to mention sociological and anthropological parallels), a number of new and engaging interpretations have been advanced. This conference will explore the range of current interpretations for the nature of the early Roman Republic and the development of power and politics within the system during its formative era.

FECHA/DATE/DATA: 26-27/01/2016

LUGAR/LOCATION/LUOGO: University of Auckland, (Auckland, New Zealand)

ORGANIZADOR/ORGANIZER/ORGANIZZATORE: Dr. Jeremy Armstrong (University of Auckland)

INFO: js.armstrong@auckland.ac.nz

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