ANCIENT ITALY
PROVINCES OF the Roman Empire to 117 c.e.
It is humbling to have been given charge of so excellent an account of Roman history as Allen Ward’s sixth edition of A History of the Roman People, which built even further upon the strong foundation established by Fritz Heichelheim and Cedric Yeo. It has been a daunting task to improve upon it. Beyond the integration of some of the most recent advances in the field of Roman studies (both historical and archaeological) for which A History of the Roman People is well known, the most significant change in this latest edition is the inclusion of sidebars that expand on references in the main text to elements of Roman society and culture that are not often included in a political and military narrative. Members of Roman society outside the political elite receive increased attention here, and the presentation of religious matters in particular has been updated. I have decided not to include snippets of ancient texts, whether literary or epigraphical. They would be a poor substitute for having students read whole documents, and each instructor will have his or her own preferences for what to include and which translation to assign. The extensive bibliography that concluded the sixth edition has been considerably trimmed and redistributed as “Suggested reading” for each individual chapter. Given the overwhelming volume of publications that could be added to the list for any given chapter, I have followed Professor Ward’s lead in focusing almost exclusively on single-authored monographs in English. Although Professor Ward had hoped to be able to offer the sixth edition of A History of the Roman People in two volumes (one for the Republic and one for the Empire, both containing the chapters that cover the triumviral period through to the death of Augustus), that will have to wait until the eighth.
I am grateful to Allen Ward for entrusting me with this project and for his sage advice as I have worked through it. I hope he is pleased with the results. Invaluable assistance in navigating the complexities of bringing this book to light came from Amy Davis-Poynter, Lizzi Risch, and Louise Peterken at Routledge and Rachel Cook at Deanta Global. I have strived to incorporate the very helpful suggestions of outside evaluators Jilana Ordman of Lake Forest College and Benedictine College, Frank Russell at Transylvania University, George Pesely at Austin Peay State University, Andrea Vianello of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, and two anonymous reviewers. I am indebted to Michael Woo, whose eagle eye has kept me from numerous errors and whose queries have led me to clarify and sharpen the prose of this edition. Elina Salminen, Molly Shaub, James Faulkner, and Brittany Hardy completed the index in record time. Any errors that remain are entirely my own.
I owe the greatest thanks to my teachers, Paul B. Harvey, Jr. at the Pennsylvania State University and Darby Scott at Bryn Mawr College, for showing me what it means to be a Roman historian and for setting high standards for research. Their lessons have stuck with me. Read carefully. Set aside your prejudices so that you can hear what the sources have to say; it might not be what you expect. Do not cut corners: always go check the reference for yourself, and never, ever rely on a translation not your own. Be thorough: make sure there are “no dogs barking in the night.” The key piece of information is often found where you least expect it. Write clearly and eschew obfuscation. Perhaps the most important lesson was that there is joy to be had in discovery and satisfaction to be achieved in the construction of a really good argument. Also, risotto, salad, and a glass of wine make a very pleasant dinner.
Celia E. Schultz
Ann Arbor, Michigan