Articles by Kurt Raaflaub
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Papers by Kurt Raaflaub
Julius Caesar’s military achievements, described in his Gallic War, are monumental; so are the at... more Julius Caesar’s military achievements, described in his Gallic War, are monumental; so are the atrocities his army committed in slaughtering or enslaving entire nations. He stands accused of genocide. For today’s readers, including students and teachers, this poses problems. It raises questions, not least about Caesar’s place in the Latin curriculum. Applying modern definitions of “genocide,” is he guilty as accused? If so, is it justified to condemn him of a crime that was recognized as such only recently? Without condoning Caesar’s actions, this paper seeks fuller understanding by contextual analysis, placing them in the context of Roman—and ancient (if not almost universal)—customs of imperial warfare. It emphasizes the complexity of historical persons and events, juxtaposing Caesar the brutal conqueror to Caesar the clement victor, who established clemency among a ruler’s cardinal virtues.
The Classical World, 1989
Interest in the past (whether historical or mythical) is as old as Greek literature. Poetry (epic... more Interest in the past (whether historical or mythical) is as old as Greek literature. Poetry (epic, elegy, and tragedy) dramatized past events. Among prose authors, Hecataeus set an early standard, but his works with historical content were shorter and simpler than those of his successors. Thus, it was Herodotus who wrote the first largescale and complex history of an important historical event as “a multisubjective, contingencyoriented account” (Christian Meier). Such work was soon to be followed by Thucydides. Although the latter eventu ally knew Herodotus’ work, he may have encountered it only after he had started
From City-State to Empire: Rome in Comparative Perspective
Historical and Comparative Perspectives, 2011
Equalities and Inequalities in Athenian Democracy
Demokratia
EQUALITIES AND INEQUALITIES IN ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY Kurt A. Raaflaub i. Democratic Equality Equalit... more EQUALITIES AND INEQUALITIES IN ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY Kurt A. Raaflaub i. Democratic Equality Equality and liberty wereand still arethe most important democratic val-ues. Accordingly, equality figured prominently among the slogans used by the ancient ...
La invención de un género: Heródoto, Tucídides y los retos de escribir prosa histórica a gran escala
Nova Tellus
El interés por el pasado (ya sea histórico o mítico) es tan antiguo como la literatura griega. La... more El interés por el pasado (ya sea histórico o mítico) es tan antiguo como la literatura griega. La poesía (épica, elegía y tragedia) dramatizaba los acontecimientos del pasado. Entre los escritores en prosa, Hecateo estableció un primer estándar, pero sus obras con contenido histórico fueron más breves y simples que las de sus sucesores. Heródoto escribió la primera historia extensa y compleja de un acontecimiento histórico importante como “un relato múltiple, orientado de manera contingente” (Christian Meier), y fue pronto seguido por Tucídides. Aunque este último conoció en su momento la obra de Heródoto, pudo haberla tenido sólo después de haber comenzado a escribir su propio texto.Los desafíos que enfrentaron estos autores al crear, establecer y legitimar un nuevo género eran formidables. Aunque tenían un lejano predecesor en la épica, en lo esencial, entraron en un territorio desconocido y tuvieron que encontrar la manera de organizar su material, presentar su relato y atraer la...
The discovery of freedom in ancient Greece
Choice Reviews Online
... by the long-term effect of modern ideas and modes of thought on the interpretation of ancient... more ... by the long-term effect of modern ideas and modes of thought on the interpretation of ancient texts and ... greatly to illuminating the specific characteristics of the Greek concept of freedom.37 To be sure, Greek political philosophy, rhetoric, and historiography of the ...
Historische Zeitschrift
UBERBLICKT man die bisherige Forschung zum antiken Freiheitsbegriff, so fällt einem auf, daß zwar... more UBERBLICKT man die bisherige Forschung zum antiken Freiheitsbegriff, so fällt einem auf, daß zwar zahlreiche Arbeiten entweder über Freiheit in Griechenland (eleutheria) 1) oder Freiheit in Rom (libertas) 2) existieren, aber der Versuch eines systematischen Vergleiches bisher nicht unternommen worden ist. Dabei müßte al-*) Überarbeitete und erweiterte Fassung eines zuvor an der Freien Universität Berlin,
Historische Zeitschrift
Im Juni des Jahres 411 v. Chr. wurden die Bürger Athens zu einer Versammlung auf dem Kolonos Hipp... more Im Juni des Jahres 411 v. Chr. wurden die Bürger Athens zu einer Versammlung auf dem Kolonos Hippios, einem kleinen Hügel außerhalb der Stadt, aufgeboten.') Der Ort war außergewöhnlich, zumal Krieg war und die Spartaner von der attischen Grenzfestung Dekeleia aus das offene Land kontrollierten. 2) Noch ungewöhnlicher war die Tagesordnung. Wenige Tage zuvor war-in kritischer äußerer Lage-in einer vorbereitenden Versammlung eine Kommission mit Sondervollmachten eingesetzt worden, die darüber berich-') Überarbeitete und erweiterte Fassung eines am 7. Mai 1990 im Rahmen der Stiftung Historisches Kolleg im Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft in München, außerdem an den Universitäten Freiburg und Pisa, an
Die große Herausforderung. Herodot, Thukydides und die Erfindung einer neuen Form von Geschichtsschreibung
Historische Zeitschrift, 2016
ZusammenfassungHerodot und Thukydides waren die ersten, die große und komplexe Prosageschichtswer... more ZusammenfassungHerodot und Thukydides waren die ersten, die große und komplexe Prosageschichtswerke über bedeutende historische Ereignisse produzierten, und zwar, in Christian Meiers Definition, als “multi-subjektive, kontingenz-orientierte Erzählungen“. Sie erfanden im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes eine neue Gattung der historischen Literatur, und dies stellte sie vor massive und elementare Herausforderungen, die in der Forschung nur teilweise als solche erkannt und umfassend untersucht worden sind. Obwohl das Epos ihnen gewisse Anregungen bot, mussten sie herausfinden, wie sie ihr Material sammeln, bewerten und organisieren, ihren Bericht gestalten und das Interesse ihres Publikums gewinnen und halten konnten. Da sie in einer fragmentierten Welt mit divergierenden und widersprüchlichen Erinnerungen lebten, aber im Interesse einer breiten Wirkung eine panhellenische Perspektive wählten, mussten sie sich ihr Publikum überhaupt erst schaffen. Trotz beträchtlicher Unterschiede in Alter, H...
Riding on Homer's Chariot: The Search for a Historical ‘Epic Society’
Antichthon, 2011
This paper continues the author's long-standing quest to define the historicity of ‘epic soci... more This paper continues the author's long-standing quest to define the historicity of ‘epic society’ and to understand epic warfare and battle descriptions. It summarises the range of questions involved and a number of aspects on which some agreement has been achieved. Further progress is only possible by using new approaches. One of these, the comparative study of epic traditions, has recently yielded important results that are briefly summarised. Another new approach, overlapping with that of narratology, aims at understanding the working methods and conventions of the epic singer's art. The application of this approach to the narrative of epic battles has made it possible to distinguish between two large type scenes: ‘normal battles’ and ‘flight and aristeia phases’. The former are essentially historical and thus help us understand early Greek fighting, while the latter are essentially fantastic. Three elements occur predominantly or almost exclusively in these fantasy scene...
Politics and Interstate Relations in the World of Early Greek Poleis: Homer and Beyond
Antichthon, 1997
This essay is part of a larger project concerned with determining how historians today can use th... more This essay is part of a larger project concerned with determining how historians today can use the evidence of the Homeric epics in order to gain a better understanding of the evolution of early Greek society—but do so responsibly, that is, in ways that are adequate to the epics' nature as poetic and cultural documents surviving from a specific time and social context. Elsewhere I have discussed Homer and history, the role of the polis, warfare and military organisation, and political thought in Homer, as well as ‘Homeric society’ in general and the problem of its historicity. Here I want to take a close look at interstate relations (sections I and III) and the political sphere (section II). I choose as my point of departure some of the views which M.I. Finley expressed in The World of Odysseus—a book that is now more than forty years old, still illuminating and indispensable but partly outdated.
The Role of Peace in Roman Politics and Ideology
The Journal of Classical Studies, 2010
War and the City: The Brutality of War and Its Impact on the Community
Combat Trauma and the Ancient Greeks, 2014
The Quest for Peace in the Ancient World
서양고전학연구, Jun 1, 2010
War and Society in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds: Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe, and Mesoamerica (review)
American Historical Review, 2001
Searching for peace in the ancient world
War and Peace in the Ancient World 2007 Isbn 978 1 4051 4526 8 Pags 1 33, 2007
Ancient Greece: The Historical Needle’s Eye of Modern Politics and Political Thought
Classical World, 2015
Letras Clássicas, 2002
O artigo tem por objetivo examinar a relação entre Prome- teu e possíveis modelos mitólogicos da ... more O artigo tem por objetivo examinar a relação entre Prome- teu e possíveis modelos mitólogicos da Ásia Ocidental, buscando reexaminar a sugestão de Stephanie West de que a personagem de Prome- teu, como trapaceiro e herói de cultura, foi apenas uma dentre muitas importações típicas do “período orientalizante” na Grécia arcaica.
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Articles by Kurt Raaflaub
Papers by Kurt Raaflaub