Rome and the enemy : imperial strategy in the principate /

The tragedian Accius's famous aphorism Oderint dum metuant ("Let them hate me provided they fear me") succinctly expresses the central tenet of this book: the principate viewed and responded to its diplomatic and military problems primarily in terms of image or "face." Such a response, Mattern argues, stemmed partly from Rome's lack of accurate maps and the small size of its fixed army. More important, however, its decision-making elite--identical, in many cases, to its literary intelligentsia--approached geopolitical questions with a hypersensitivity to insult and a readiness to avenge transgressions in the maintenance (and, if possible, extension) of national honor. Such an approach induced the Romans to act (and in some cases, overreact) in a way not consonant with a dispassionate "bottom line" military or economic assessment. The chief support for this interpretation is a close and well-argued analysis of the literary output of the decision-makers. Thus, the reader must constantly challenge a classical author's familiarity with and bias toward the events described. Only specialists will have the requisite knowledge to appreciate and interact with the author's (occasionally overstated) views. Upper-division undergraduates and above. R. T. Ingoglia; Felician College