Roman Historiography: A Literary and Political History
The Roman Historiography
Roman historiography was understood as a true literary genre rather than a purely scientific work. It often included legends, recreated events, fictitious speeches and letters, and expressive language typical of rhetoric.
Origins and Early Historians
Its origins lie in the annals of the pontiffs, compiled annually, and in recording the most relevant events. In the 3rd century BC, after winning the First Punic War, the Romans decided to write history as political propaganda and national affirmation. Early historians were called ‘analysts’.
The first histories were written in Greek, which was useful for wider dissemination. Later, they were written in Latin. The most significant early historian was Cato (3rd-2nd century BC), author of Origins.
Caesar and Sallust: Breaking with Tradition
In the 1st century BC, Caesar and Sallust broke the habit of telling the story from the founding of Rome year by year.
Gaius Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar, conqueror of Gaul, was a prominent politician who participated in the First Triumvirate, a Civil War hero against Pompey, and dictator until his assassination in 44 BC.
His works, conceived as Commentarii or notes, were compiled from reports collected from military officers. Caesar developed these into accurate accounts with great clarity, referring to himself in the third person. He used purist language, avoiding slang, archaic terms, or poetic expressions, creating a model of classical prose.
Crispus Sallust
Crispus Sallust, a friend of Caesar, enriched himself considerably through politics. Two works are preserved: The Conspiracy of Catiline and The Jugurthine War, both short monographs contemporary to their subjects (not annals).
The Conspiracy of Catiline recounts the coup attempt in 63 BC when Catiline tried to assassinate Cicero, the consul of the Republic that year.
The Jugurthine War describes Rome’s struggle at the end of the 2nd century BC against Jugurtha, king of Numidia, during which several generals were bribed by the enemy, bringing shame to Rome. Sallust denounces the moral degeneration of Rome, where “everything can be bought.”
His slightly archaic style is concise. Unlike Caesar, Sallust attacks the materialism and moral vices of his time.
The Imperial Era: Livy
The imperial era was inaugurated with Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita, which comprised 142 books and returned to the style of the analysts, covering the history from the founding of Rome to Livy’s time. It includes the legend of Romulus and Remus and many other stories. Patriotic exaggerations abound, and the accuracy is sometimes questionable due to the use of unreliable sources. Livy aimed to give his skeptical and corrupt contemporaries a moral lesson.
His style is abundant in expression, similar to Cicero, with the use of poetic and rhetorical elements, prioritizing beauty over accuracy. Only 35 books are preserved, along with summaries of the rest.
Tacitus and Suetonius
In the 1st century AD, Publius Cornelius Tacitus emerged as a significant figure. His most important works are Annales, narrating the period from the death of Emperor Augustus to Nero, and Historiae, covering the period from Galba to Domitian, during which Tacitus lived. Only fragments of these works are preserved.
Tacitus was a very demanding historian regarding his sources, describing his era as a hotbed of corruption and ferocious power struggles.
His pessimistic and critical tone is pervasive.
His style is even more concise than that of Sallust, sometimes becoming obscure. He uses rhetorical devices, and his portraits possess great psychological depth and dramatic intensity.
Suetonius, belonging to the same period as Tacitus, takes a different approach. His work is conceived as a set of twelve biographies. He includes rumors, scurrilous pamphlets, and gritty details, without rhetoric or fictitious speeches, and quotes official documents.