Chapter 7 - The Prehistory of the Roman polis in Dionysius

Summary

Based on a close reading of extracts from Roman Antiquities books 1 and 2, this chapter argues that the texture of Dionysius’ narrative presents a more complex picture of the national identity of Rome’s earliest inhabitants than is conveyed by his grand claim for the Greek origins of Rome. It examines Dionyius’ conception of the pre-historic polis, arguing that he presents his readers with the problems of his sources, and fails to tidy up conflicting traditions, even where that results in a disrupted narrative. Romulus’ foundation speech is examined, and the relationship between larger ideas and small details of representation. The chapter then extrapolates from these narrative strategies to Dionysius’ political interests. Observing that Greek culture in the Augustan period had many forms of expression, it argues that Dionysius’ work as a critical pre-historian leads him to repudiate overarching narratives and avoid the obvious polarity between Greek and Roman.