The Silver Age Of Latin Literature

In the early first century AD, the Roman Empire was subject to autocratic rule and the old Republic was long dead. Augustus had been ruling for forty years and most of that time he was loved and praised by the Senate and the people of Rome. Throughout his reign, Augustus had the one lingering problem of finding a successor to take over the role of Emperor. He had chosen 3 different heirs in his time of rule; however, they all passed before they had the chance to inherit Augustus’ esteemed power. His fourth choice, Tiberius, was the one to succeed Augustus. He was often referred to, by Augustus, as an outstanding general and the only one capable of defending Rome against her enemies. The statement, ‘Tiberius is condemned by many ancient

The Pax Romana was a time of relative peace during the Roman Empire. Although there were conflicts during The Pax Romana it was generally a time of prosperity and expansion for Rome, mainly under the leadership of Augustus and Tiberius who successfully expanded borders and made peace. Pax Romana is Latin for peaceful Rome. It was from 27 BC to 180 AD, from the end of the Republican Civil wars to the death of Marcus Aurelious. Augustus started ruling when Pax Romana began, so it is also called the age of Augustus. During this period Rome expanded and fought other provinces when they revolted or taking over. There were more peaceful effects happening and the art and architecture was flourishing. There were a few different leaders during this

Tacitus also shows distrust towards Augustus in his exiling and killing of anyone deemed to be a political enemy – a taste which her masterfully called the proscriptions, and advertised to the public as a

young man can look forward to a time when he ultimately can spend raising his family. It was not

These writings covered the life of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69). Tacitus is considered to be one of the greatest Roman historians. He lived in what has been called the Silver Age of Latin literature. He is known for the brevity and compactness of his Latin prose, as well as for his penetrating insights into the psychology of power

Augustus was brilliant in using such an important cultural outlet, art as a mean for expressing change. He was able to through art to convey to aristocrats and common people all, that this was new. That he was representing an irreparable shift of all roman culture. On his deathbed, Augustus quoted a playwright by saying “Since well I’ve played my part, all clap your hands and from the stage dismiss me with applause,” Augustus indeed deserves this applause he played not only his ‘part’ masterfully but acted as the playwright himself organizing all those closest to him into their own roles. Also, like any popular play, he was able to have it become part of popular culture. Therefore, building a lasting legacy that was universal in all of Rome during his era and still studied and admired to this

Writing has always been the primary vehicle for social commentary and reform. From Upton Sinclair’s damning exposure of the meat processing industry in The Jungle, to George Orwell’s grave warning concerning communism in Animal Farm, to William Goulding’s disturbing look at human nature post World War 2 in Lord of the Flies, countless authors have attempted to expose flaws in their society through writing. Rome, as a growing republic, and later as a sprawling empire, was consistently rife with corruption, abuse of power, and the degradation of morals. Writers like Sallust, Juvenal, and Tacitus saw these social flaws as opportunities, whether to drive social or political change, or to increase their influence, or just to make a statement to the government and the Roman people. However, these three writers each took a different approach to his commentary. Through comedic hyperbole and satire, Juvenal looked to expose the moral degradation of Roman women in Satire VI. On the other hand, Sallust focused on political corruption in the late Roman Republic, using the history of the Jugurthine War as a lens by which to observe the corruption he despised. With yet another approach, Tacitus aimed to criticize despots like Emperor Domitian and to denounce imperialism through the biography of Agricola, the Roman general who conquered Britain.

A Roman commission in the 451-229 B.C. time period created legislation establishing law and order for society to follow. Twelve tables were created as a code of ethics outlining rights and legal procedures. Rome at the time was a society deeply divided between the classes and these tables came about to equalize rights between aristocratic patricians and common plebeians.

Rome literature, was written in Latin language, and it still remains an enduring legacy of the culture of ancient Rome. Some of the earliest extant works are historical epics telling about the early military history of Rome, followed as the Republic expanded, by poetry, comedies, histories and tragedies. Latin literature grew heavily on the tradition of other cultures, particularly the more matured literary traditions of Greece, and the strong influence of earlier Greek. The “Golden Age of Roman Literature” is mostly considered to cover the period from about the start of 1st Century B.C.E up to the mid-1st Century

Mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, and medicine are some of the significant contributions made by the Greeks, and they were also notorious for their cultivated architecture and sculptures. The Greek culture impacted the Roman Empire and several other civilizations; it remains to transform present-day cultures. The Han Dynasty is one of the most remarkable dynasties in Chinese history. This dynasty incorporated about four hundred years of development and strengthening; it coexisted with the duration of the Roman republic and the empire in the West. Momentous developments occurred in the Han Dynasty. Rome advanced form being one of the several city-states to being the core of the most magnificent empire in the world.

Suetonius wrote The Twelve Caesars as a biography about twelve Roman Caesars. This essay will compare and contrast two of them, Divus Julius and Nero. Even though the two men both became Emperors who ruled Rome, they could not have been more different. Both had certain authority and public powers during each of their reigns. Their lives were also scattered with times of virtue and scandal. This was a different time from today. Human behavior and morals played a significant role in those ruling over others. Some had them and some not so much. In the end, their stories will ultimately give the reader an illustration of these two men and what their stories tell us about the lives of Roman emperors in the first century.

In his seventy sixth year Julius Caesar was assassinated by several senators on August 19, 14 CE. (Mellor 1). After Julius Caesar’s death, Antony (one of Caesar’s closest advisors) was expected to rule after him, but little did anyone know that Caesar was very fond of his nephew who voyaged with him on several missions and secretly adopted this fellow who went by the name of Gaius Octavius. (Mellor 6) Octavius would soon go by the name Augustus and become one of the greatest leaders to have ruled ancient Rome. Augustus ruler of Rome formulates a monarchical government in spite of Romans’ dislike of a monarchy without being assassinated like his grandpa Julius Caesar by maintaining a strong military system, gradually changing the constitution, and spending his money and time wisely.

Brown, Peter. The World of Late Antiquity. London: Thames & Hudson, 1971 (rpt. New York: Norton, 1989).

Now that you have the basic idea on each of the time periods, we at Poetic Justice hope you can put to use some of your newly acquired knowledge. By knowing the literary movement in which an author is writing in,

In the Anglo-Saxon literature, the scop has a privilege of retaining history, culture and social values of that society. In many cases the scop exercises the power to create stories which reflect the values of that society. The Rood in the ¡°The Dream of the Rood¡± also tells a story of which affects its society and people. The existence of this witness that reports the suffering and the glorification of Christ proves necessary for the people to believe. The Rood becomes a hero that preserves an event that proves crucial to the society. As the Rood observes the suffering of Christ, it also shares with him the pains of crucifixion. In other words, the Rood takes part in Christ¡¯s crucifixion which pertains to the salvation of the souls.