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+--- Thread: Top five authorities. (/showthread.php?tid=21568)
Top five authorities. - Titus Thurinus - 09-22-2012
Hey guys,
If I was to ask who you considered the top five current authorities on roman history to be what would you say? And on what specific area? Goldsworthy? M. Bishop?
Top five authorities. - Epictetus - 09-22-2012
Everything is so specialised now. Probably the closest thing to a general Roman expert that I can think of would be Mary Beard.
Top five authorities. - caiusbeerquitius - 09-22-2012
Werner Eck, for the Imperial period, perhaps. Here´s a list of his publications:
http://alte-geschichte.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/fileadmin/IfA/Alte_Geschichte/lehrende/Eck/2012-Juli-Schriftenverzeichnis.pdf
Top five authorities. - Lyceum - 09-22-2012
Quote:Everything is so specialised now. Probably the closest thing to a general Roman expert that I can think of would be Mary Beard.
I don't know, I doubt it would be her to be honest. Everything has been specialised for a while. God I certainly wouldn't include someone like Goldylocks on the list. :lol:
You know I actually like some of M Beard's stuff, on religious personnel etc, just don't think it would really be her. What do you think of the work of Purcell btw?
Top five authorities. - D B Campbell - 09-22-2012
Quote:the top five current authorities on roman historyYou're looking for big hitters. I'd definitely include Fergus Millar: the man knows everything!
Top five authorities. - Lyceum - 09-22-2012
Quote:Titus Antonius Thurinus. post=321193 Wrote:the top five current authorities on roman historyYou're looking for big hitters. I'd definitely include Fergus Millar: the man knows everything!
How did I forget him!? I recall bumping into him at the Oriental Institute a month or two ago and being introduced by another historian.... You know...he's one of these people you can sort of talk to but also feel really uncomfortable around. I do know that in the few brief conversations we've had I've probably made like a half dozen mistakes in what I'm saying. I guess I still get confused over a Roman historian who also knows the Orient so well.
Top five authorities. - D B Campbell - 09-22-2012
Quote:You know...he's one of these people you can sort of talk to but also feel really uncomfortable around.I felt sort of the same way around John Mann. (We're going back aways, of course.) A really friendly fellow, but you were always aware of the man's auctoritas!
Top five authorities. - Nathan Ross - 09-22-2012
It's difficult to think of people who could be considered authorities on Roman history in general - authority tends to come with specialisation. Goldsworthy's a great populariser, as (in a more scholarly way) is Beard, and previously Michael Grant perhaps. But Goldsworthy is comparatively narrow in his focus and draws heavily on original work by others. The more specialised the research, the more interpretation and subjectivity is involved, and the greater potential for expert disagreement!
Having said that, I'd suggest (in the English-speaking world):
Ramsay MacMullen
T.D. Barnes
Fergus Millar
Peter Brown
David S Potter
Which are just the first five that occured to me, and are mainly late empire specialists...
Michael P Speidel also seems to come up a lot in more military circles!
(Edit - cross-posted with Duncan about Millar!)
Top five authorities. - Lyceum - 09-22-2012
Quote:Lyceum post=321229 Wrote:You know...he's one of these people you can sort of talk to but also feel really uncomfortable around.I felt sort of the same way around John Mann. (We're going back aways, of course.) A really friendly fellow, but you were always aware of the man's auctoritas!
I guess that's actually the best way of putting it, wow, yeah. I've given up on ever growing out of holding certain scholars in awe to be honest. :lol:
Top five authorities. - Jona Lendering - 09-22-2012
I am afraid that I find recent scholarship too shallow. Fergus Millar is one of the very few exceptions.
Top five authorities. - Epictetus - 09-26-2012
I forgot about Millar too, somehow. :oops: I have his Roman Near East, which is quite good.
Top five authorities. - D B Campbell - 09-26-2012
Quote:... which is quite good.Ah, damned by faint praise. :wink:
Top five authorities. - Jona Lendering - 09-26-2012
I know that the following sounds like a compliment among friends, not completely to be taken seriously, but - ahem - I think that Duncan Campbell is, for me, quite an authority about military matters.
Top five authorities. - PhilusEstilius - 09-27-2012
I think I might second that Jona.