Sallust Flashcards
When and where was Sallust born?
He was born circa 86 BC, in Amiternum, Samnium. This is near modern day L’Aquila
With what kind of topics does Sallust deal?
Political personalities, corruption, party rivalry in the late Republic
When did Sallust die?
35/34 BC
Give a bit of detail on Sallust’s family
The Sallustii were a provincial noble family of Sabine origin, now belonging to the equestrian order. Sallust was the only known member to have served in the senate
What were Sallust’s political leanings?
He was a popularis; he opposed the Roman aristocracy and supported Caesar
What was Sallust’s first political office and when did he hold it?
Tribune of the plebs in 52 BC
What was Sallust’s involvement in the Clodius-Milo-Cicero debacle?
When Cicero defended Milo for the murder of the demagogue Clodius, Sallust and his fellow tribunes attacked Cicero in speeches to the people. This experience of political strife inspired Sallust
Why was Sallust expelled from the Senate in 50 BC?
The censor Appius Claudius expelled him for alleged immorality but it was probably for his opposition to Milo and Cicero. He was reinstated the following year through Caesar’s influence
What happened to Sallust during civil war?
He was put in charge of Caesar’s legions but achieved no success
What happened when Sallust was designated praetor two years after the outbreak of civil war?
He went to quell a mutiny among Caesar’s troops but had no success - he was nearly killed
Where did Sallust go in 46 BC?
He went to Africa as part of Caesar’s campaign and became the first governor of Africa Nova (modern Algeria). He remained in office until 45/44. On his return he was accused of extortion and plundering but was never brought to trial because of Caesar’s intervention on his behalf
When Sallust returned to Rome after governing Africa Nova, of what was he accused and why wasn’t he brought to trial?
Extortion and plundering his province. Through Caesar’s intervention he never was brought to trial
What did Sallust do with his ill-gotten gains from Africa?
He retired from public life, bought land on the Quirinal Hill and began laying out the famous gardens of Sallust
What’s Sallust’s full name?
Gaius Sallustius Crispus
What is the name of Sallust’s monograph concerning the Catiline conspiracy? When was it written?
Bellum Catilinae, 43-42BC
What happened in the conspiracy of Catiline?
Catiline was a ruthlessly ambitious patrician who tried to sieze power in 63BC, aided by certain members of the upper classes and also Italy’s dissatisfied veterans, peasants and debtors
What is the Bellum Catilinae about?
It traces the course of the conspiracy of Catiline, and the measures taken by Cicero and the senate against Catiline. He brings the narrative to a climax in w senatorial debate concerning the fate of the conspirators which took place Dec 5, 63.
Who did Sallust see as the significant speakers of the debate over Catiline and what did they represent to him?
Caesar and M Porcius Catiline. They represented civic virtue and excellence. Their deaths ended an epoch in the history of the republic. In a digression, Sallust indicates party strife as being the main factor for the Republics disintegration
What is the title of Sallust’s work which details the struggles that arose in Rome when war broke out against Jugurtha?
Bellum Jugurthinum (41-40 BC)
Who was Jugurtha?
The King of Numidia who rebelled against Rome at the close of the 2nd century BC
Who rose to prominence as a result of the Jugurthine war and how did Sallust feel about him?
Marius, a fellow ‘new man.’ He attacked the traditional exclusive Roman political elite but this caused conflict that, Sallust believed, resulted in war and political ruin
Whom did Sallust blame for the initial mismanagement of the war?
The ‘powerful few’ who sacrificed the common interest for their own greed and desire
Why did Sallust believe political turmoil arose in Rome in the Late Republic?
Because of the power struggle between the aristocratic group in control of the senate, and the people and plebeians (and the senators who enlisted popular support from them).
What is the largest and most important work of Sallust?
The Historiae which survives only in fragments which describes Roman history from 78 to 69 BC.
Is it fair to say that party conflict and attacks on the politically powerful are common themes k. Sallust’s writing
Yup
Whose work did Sallust use as a model?
Thucydides; he aimed to imitate him in impartiality and truthfulness, in the introduction of philosophising reflections and speeches, and the brevity of his style
How does Sallust present Caesar, Cato and Catiline in the senatorial debate in Bellum Catilinae?
He presents Cato and Caesar in an even handed way despite personal connections. He gives the ‘devil his due’ with Catiline
What is the difference of the monograph style Sallust used, and the annalistic style traditionally used?
The annals present events year by year whereas the monograph focuses on a single specialised event
Give an example of how Sallust enlivens his work with speeches
Cato and Caesar’s speeches in Bellum Catilinum
Give a quote to show Sallust was preoccupied with moral decline in Rome
‘Ambition prompted many to become deceitful’
Is Sallust the perfect historian?
No he has anti-patrician prejudice, inaccuracies (eg North African geography) and anachronisms
What did Sallust achieve by blending archaism and innovation?
A style of classic status
Give an example of Sallust using rare forms of words
Lubido instead of libido
For what type of expression is Sallust famous?
Epigrammatic
Why is it not surprising that Sallust’s work is preoccupied with violence and political disorder?
He lived in a time of civil war
How did Sallust ‘strike out a new line in literature’
His predecessors wrote dry chronicles of events whereas he tried to explain the links between and the meaning of events
What has made Sallust a subject of reproach?
The contrast between his own public career and the high moral tone he adopted in his writings
Which philosopher credits Sallust with inspiring his own epigrammatic style?
Nietzsche
