This study of the visible representation of power and prestige in both Greek and Roman polities of the ancient world demonstrates the importance of crowds' aesthetic and emotional judgement upon leaders and their ambitious claims for immediate and lasting significance. The spectacular rhetorics of a variety of individuals, from early Greece until the end of the Roman Republic, are considered, including Alcibiades, Demetrius Poliorcetes, the early Ptolemies, Antiochus IV, Pompey, Cicero, and Caesar. Great men sought visible pre-eminence and their methods and success reveal a great deal about the habits and values of their civic societies.

About the Author
Andrew Bell is Associate Professor of History, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Reviews
offers some genuinely interesting insights into the division of power between prominent politicans and their audiences in ancient cities... B.'s book makes a valuable contribution to the study of power relations in ancient communities * Craig Galbraith, Journal of Roman Studies *
...spectacular ... [a] powerful evocation of spectacle and display on a grand scale * Greece and Rome *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199298273
Author Andrew Bell
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 426g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 18mm