M. Porcius Cato Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 It's clear that Mommsen blindly idolized Caesar and anachronistically considered him something like a heroic liberal leader of the late XIX Century. Exactly. Mommsen's idolatry has had a tremendously pernicious influence on the understanding of the Roman republic, and it was borne of an ideology that was very much in keeping with the rising tide of totalitarianism in the first half of the 20th century. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankq Posted August 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 It's clear that Mommsen blindly idolized Caesar and anachronistically considered him something like a heroic liberal leader of the late XIX Century. Exactly. Mommsen's idolatry has had a tremendously pernicious influence on the understanding of the Roman republic, and it was borne of an ideology that was very much in keeping with the rising tide of totalitarianism in the first half of the 20th century. Well, on that note, while Caesar browsing, I found this: http://www.annourbis.com/JuliusCaesar/ It's very well written. And researched. And frigging biased to the highest degree. Fans of Caesar will love it. Our own Cato Ohii will be appalled. I can't help but feel the author was on a total Mommsen high. I have never run into this link and website before, I think its new, but the tone and style doesn't seem recent. Check out his take on the agrarian law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 (edited) Well, on that note, while Caesar browsing, I found this: http://www.annourbis.com/JuliusCaesar/ It's very well written. And researched. And frigging biased to the highest degree. Fans of Caesar will love it. Our own Cato Ohii will be appalled. I can't help but feel the author was on a total Mommsen high. I have never run into this link and website before, I think its new, but the tone and style doesn't seem recent. Check out his take on the agrarian law. Salve, F! MPC does a lot of research and analysis for his posts. The least we can do is read them carefully. Love is blind, and you don Edited October 8, 2007 by ASCLEPIADES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornelius_sulla Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Cato be duh bad guy. End of story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Cato be duh bad guy.End of story. Bad story. End of review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Cato be duh bad guy.End of story. While I'm not a fan of Cato and his 20 odd cronies you have to put him/them in context. The political system had become so polarized by factions it had become relatively difficult to govern and a dissenting voice is necessary to check dominance. Was Cato part of the problem? Yes. Was he the cause of the problem? No. His significance in the grand scheme of things is overestimated thanks to men like Cicero. Cato IMO is over-lauded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vibius Tiberius Costa Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Define bad? who's opinion is it anyway on what is bad. I suppose in their own eyes both Cato and Caesar thought what they were doing was right but law at the time says that Caesar broke it. Yet as M. Porcius Cato and Primus Pilus gives evidence for Caesar is depicted as duh good guy. I think it would be impossible to know becasuse for opinions sake, it is your choice based on all the factual evidence (not opinions (hard to come by but y'know)). vtc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 His significance in the grand scheme of things is overestimated thanks to men like Cicero. Our chief contemporary source for Cato's significance isn't Cicero, but Caesar's own partisan Sallust, who held Cato in much esteem despite detesting Cato's nominal allies. In contrast, Cicero wrote less about Cato than did Sallust, and Cicero's attitude towards Cato ran hot and cold, depending on whether Cato was helping Cicero or hindering him at the time. Ironically, one of the people who most helped catapult Cato to fame was Caesar, whose Anti-Cato was published right after Cato's death and while Sallust was writing his own histories. Thereafter, everyone who opposed Caesar, the Julio-Claudians, or whatever emperor was around, looked back to Cato as the Cassandra of the republic and a model Stoic. In one respect, a similar relation holds between the American founders and George III--if the role of king had not existed, there would have been no role for the republican revolutionaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankq Posted August 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 The reason why I concocted the rather corny and lame thread title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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