Synthesizing a wealth of current research, The Romans surveys the most complex society ever to exist prior to the Industrial Age. Searching out the identity of the ancient Roman, the contributors describe an urbane figure at odds with his rustic peers, known for his warlike nature and his love of virtue, his magnanimity to foreigners and his predilection for cutting off his enemies' heads. Most important, perhaps, of the themes explored throughout this volume are those of freedom and slavery, of citizenship and humanitas.
What results from the depictions Roman society through time and across its many constituent cultures is the variety of Roman identity in all its richness and depth. These masterful essays will engage the general reader as well as the specialist in history and culture.
Introduction: Roman Man by Andrea Giardina
1. The Citizen; The Political Man by Claude Nicolet
2. The Priest by John Scheid
3. The Jurist by Aldo Schiavone
4. The Soldier by Jean-Michel Carrié
5. The Slave by Yvon Thébert
6. The Freedman by Jean Andreau
7. The Peasant by Jerzy Kolendo
8. The Craftsman by Jean-Paul Morel
9. The Merchant by Andrea Giardina
10. The Poor by C. R. Whittaker
11. The Bandit by Brent D. Shaw
12. Humanitas: Romans and Non-Romans by Paul Veyne