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A Look into the Concept Libertas During the Fall of the Republic and the Rise of the Princeps; Through the Writings of Sallust, Cicero, and Tacitus
Miles, Matthew Rassias
Miles, Matthew Rassias
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Abstract
How did the Romans see Libertas as the Republic came to an end, and how does this connect to the Roman idea of both governance and the self? This thesis looks to examine the complex meanings of Libertas, that stands at the heart of how the Roman Republic functioned and thus how the Princeps developed. To do this, the thesis compares two authors, Gaius Sallustius Crispus and Marcus Tullius Cicero, who, while holding similar ideas in Libertas, supported different political movements and ideologies. While the basic idea of Libertas is rather simple and linked to the differentiation between those who are slaves and those who are citizens in the political realm, Libertas has a much more fluid conceptualization. By discussing the facets of Libertas in the literature, and contrasting this with the events of the Catiline conspiracy and the coming fall of the Republic, it become clear that Libertas to the Romans can not stay fully abstract, but rather connects with the political movements of the time. In doing this, much of the dualistic, individual and societal aspects of Libertas are drawn out. After the discussion of the aspects of Libertas between Cicero and Sallust, their ideas are in turn put into dialog with the writings of Tacitus. The glimpse into Libertas as the Republic fell, and then comparing how Tacitus saw it both existing in the past, and how it no longer had a place on a societal level during his life. This illustrates how linked Libertas was to the Roman idea of personal betterment, social cooperation, and societal hegemony. While this thesis can not fully capture the concept of Libertas, both in its many dynamics in each era, and within the authors, it offers a glimpse into an often overlooked ideological linchpin of Rome. The conclusion is that Libertas enabled both the internal freedom through virtue, known as personal control, and more importantly the social idea of acceptance and mobility into the Roman system. That in turn ii helped to enable both in introduction of new citizens and fostered peace between the social orders. Its removal by arbitrary rule, the princeps, overall jeopardized this piece, and in the eyes of the authors stunted the growth of men.
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Thesis (B.A. in Classical Studies, Minor in History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2021.
Date
2021
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Keywords
Liberty, Politics and government
Citation
Miles, Matthew Rassias. "A Look into the Concept Libertas During the Fall of the Republic and the Rise of the Princeps; Through the Writings of Sallust, Cicero, and Tacitus". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2021.