10-04-2011, 02:05 PM
Quote:Thank you for the kind words Lyceum and Caeclius, especially now that I go back and read my post I realize that I did not express myself very well. The main point I was trying to make was that there are aspects to Roman religion like the numina that have no counterpoint in Greek religion. I beleive it is Cornell (I do not have my library handy at the moment) that talks about nexum, and as far as I know there is no Greek equivalent for that either. These are just examples that show that there are aspects of Roman culture that have nothing to do with Greece. It seems logical to assume that there must be others. Did the Romans accept much of Greek culture? Sure they did. But as Lyceum said, it may best if we took a second look at commonly accepted theory.
Oh no I completely understood what you were saying, just adding a bit. I fully agree that there was massive swathes of Roman culture that have naught to do with the Greeks and that in many cases Hellenistic ancestry was manufactured for various reasons. Largely because, as I said, it was THE cultural currency of the day. It really doesn't mean that, just because a Roman said it, it has to be true.
You're right that we should take a second look at received knowledge, I would counter though that for most Classicists, at least most of those not solely working with Literature..., our views of Greece, Rome etc have been different from what many people seem to believe for a rather long time.
It's largely down to new evidence and applying new methodology, often filched from disciplines like anthropology.
Roman religion and Roman Law are fascinating topics, admittedly far from my research interests (I'm a Hellenist you see, yes yes stone me for being in the wrong subforum :lol: ) and give a different insight into Roman life and culture. I really think anyone truly interested in Rome should get a semi decent grasp of the key concepts of these areas. Especially if you're trying to build an accurate picture.
Jass
