Scrinium Classical Antiquity

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  • Claudius Caesar. Image and Power in the Early Roman Empire. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (...), 2011. XV,357p. Paperback. Written in fluid and accessible prose and organized clearly to keep its message on focus, Claudius Caesar: Image and Power in the Early Roman Empire is an admirable example of what ancient biography can and cannot be. Josiah Osgood writes in his Introduction, 'The aim here is not to write a biography of Claudius the man.' The reason? Appropriate skepticism about the ancient narratives inhibits access to the emperor’s personality and his motivations. (...) Osgood relies instead on what is obviously factual in the texts and on numismatic, inscriptional, and documentary evidence. The reign of Claudius represents a slice of the early empire, 'emperor history' (that is, biography) as a 'window' into history (pp. 22 and 264). Claudius Caesar is an altogether exemplary biography. Its success does not come in spite of the limitations that Osgood places on ancient biography, the impossibility of dealing with the whole person of the emperor. It is successful rather because his acknowledgement of these limitations permits him to concentrate on Claudius’ reign in such a way that aspects of the person are able to be recovered to the degree possible.' (DONNA HURLEY in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2011.07.34). € 31.50 (New) ISBN: 9780521708258

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