Violence in Republican Rome
Currently reading: Violence in Republican Rome. An expensive book unfortunately, but one which explores an area I am fascinated with; the use of violence in public and private life and as an expression of politics and law. Andrew Lintott writes:

Roman tradition tolerated and even encouraged violence in political and private disputes, and both the law and constitutional precedent recognized the use of force by private individuals.

Often Rome is seen within the the liberal tradition; but this use of violence, rather than debate, deliberation, consensus and the seeking of the point of the least dissatisfaction places it wholly outside of modern political rationality.
Cam Riley: South Sea Republic. Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic.

Comments
  • Alan . # . 1/1
    I suspect the Roman republic would be a lot less respectable if it had not extraordinary campaign managers in Gibbon and the authors of the Federalist Papers. In reality Rome was pretty much an oligarchy punctuated by outbreaks of social protest followed by oligarchic violence against reformers. it is instructive to count the number of Roman reformers who ended up dead. Had the firm of Gibbon Madison been less successful image makers we might be paying more attention to the Athenian experience and the use of sortition.