Representations of War in Ancient Rome

War suffused Roman life to a degree unparalleled in other ancient societies. Although the place of war in ancient Roman culture has been the subject of many studies, this book is the first to examine how Romans represented war, in both visual imagery and in literary accounts. Spanning a broad chronological range, from the mid-fourth century BC to the third century AD, the essays in this volume consider audience reception, the reconstruction of display contexts, as well as the language of images, which could be either explicit or allusive in representations of war. Collectively, the essays in this volume begin with the premise that the presentation of warfare - pictorial representations, literary accounts, commemorative building programs, and more ephemeral displays, such as trophies, triumphs, and spectacles - was instrumental in constructing the Romans\' view of themselves, their past, and their future.

• First book to address Roman representations of war • Goes beyond literal representations of war, but also examines literary and allegorical representations

Introduction Katherine Welch; 1. The transformation of victory into power: from even to structure Tonio Hölscher; 2. Siege warfare in Livy: representations and reality Jon Roth; 3. Roman aesthetics and the spoils of Syracuse Myles McDonnell; 4. Domi Militiaeque: Roman domestic aesthetics and war booty in the Republic Katherine Welch; 5. The origins of the Roman Scaenae Frons and the architecture of triumphal games in the second century BC Laura Klar; 6. The bringer of victory: imagery and institutions at the advent of Empire Michael Koortbojian; 7. Conquest and desire: Roman Victoria in public and provincial sculpture Rachel Kousser; 8. Women on the columns of Trajan and Marcus and the visual language of Roman victory Sheila Dillon; 9. Battle imagery and politics on the Severan arch in the Roman Forum Susann Lusnia; 10. Reading in the narrative literature of Roman courage William V. Harris.

\'… handsome … demonstrates an ingenious use of art history to open a broad window on Roman society … deft and wide-ranging …\' Bryn Mawr Classical Review

\'Representations of War is an engaging, well-illustrated and timely collection of essays\' Times Literary Supplement