Velleius Paterculus

Velleius Paterculus' short work is the earliest surviving attempt on the part of a post-Augustan historian to survey the history of the res publica from its origins to his own times. In a period from which no other contemporary historical narrative survives in more than meagre fragments, Velleius' work is uniquely important. It is a critical counter to the later accounts of Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio, not simply because it offers a different view of Tiberius, but because Velleius saw continuity where later authors saw only radical change which destroyed the Republic and put monarchy in its place. For other reasons, too, Velleius occupies a unique position in Roman historiography. This collection of papers, by a distinguished cast of scholars, represents a wide-ranging re-examination of Velleius' work, of its place within, and contribution to, Roman historiography and the intellectual history of the early Principate.

Velleius Paterculus' short work is the earliest surviving attempt on the part of a post-Augustan historian to survey the history of the res publica from its origins to his own times. In a period from which no other contemporary historical narrative survives in more than meagre fragments, Velleius' work is uniquely important. It is a critical counter to the later accounts of Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio, not simply because it offers a different view of Tiberius, but because Velleius saw continuity where later authors saw only radical change which destroyed the Republic and put monarchy in its place. For other reasons, too, Velleius occupies a unique position in Roman historiography. This collection of papers, by a distinguished cast of scholars, represents a wide-ranging re-examination of Velleius' work, of its place within, and contribution to, Roman historiography and the intellectual history of the early Principate.

IntroductionEleanor Cowan Velleius Paterculus as Senator. A dream with footnotesBarbara Levick A page in the history of CampaniaMaria Elefante Velleius Paterculus and his Italian backgroundEdward Bispham Transit admiratio: memoria, invidia, and the historianMartin Bloomer Velleius' history: genre and modelsJohn Rich Explanatory strategies in VelleiusJohn Marincola Velleius 2.30.6 and Tacitus, Histories 4.81: allusion and intertextVictoria Pagan Velleius and biography: the case of Julius CaesarChristopher Pelling Roman values in VelleiusUlrich Schmitzer Resuscitating a text: Velleius' history as cultural evidenceJohn Lobur Velleius 2.124.2 and the reluctant princepsTom Hillard ' Dying with their boots on': ambivalence in Velleius' depiction of republican notablesClemence Schultze The Stones of Blood: Family, Monumentality, and Memory in Velleius' Second CenturyLuke Pitcher Heroism and Despair in Velleius Paterculus' narrative of the RepublicCatherine Steel Velleius and the GamesT.P. Wiseman Velleius and Pompey: ambiguities and contradictionsRobin Seager Velleius Paterculus' portrait of LiviaKathryn Welch Velleius and the princeps Romani nominisEleanor Cowan