Scholars of Roman history, historiography, and intellectual history, as well as advanced undergraduates.
Definitions of political and moral terms are not fixed; they are reinterpreted by historians to fit or challenge contemporary political realities. Virtus Romana: Politics and Morality in the Rom...
Historians served as "promoters of change," using the concept of virtus to help Romans redefine their identity as they moved from citizen-soldiers of a Republic to subjects of an Emperor. Views virtus through the lens of decline
Views virtus through the lens of decline. He argues that the loss of external threats ( metus hostilis ) led the Roman nobility to abandon true service to the state, replacing virtus with vices like avarice and ambition. Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (2017)
Catalina Balmaceda , Associate Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (2017).
Uses virtus as a nostalgic tool, presenting legendary figures from Rome’s past as moral exemplars for his contemporary audience to emulate.
Balmaceda highlights a dichotomy between virilis-virtus (manly courage in war) and humana-virtus (moral virtues like justice and clemency). Book Details