Risk in the Roman world /

This study is the latest in the estimable "Key Themes in Ancient History" series. In it, Toner (Univ. of Cambridge, UK) establishes a framework for his analysis by referencing Ulrich Beck's argument that while modern Western civilization can be defined as a "risk society," beset with quantifiable anxieties and uncertainties generated by advances in science and technology (e.g., nuclear war, climate change), the concept of risk would have had no appreciable agency in ancient Roman society, classified simply as a chronological precursor to modernity's preoccupations (p. 1). Countering this view, Toner's fluid narrative offers a potent rejoinder, arguing instead for the evidence of a clear Roman perspective deployed on the risk-response spectrum while analyzing the various ways in which Romans displayed an understanding of risk and developed mechanisms for managing uncertainty. Explicating how these strategies were employed in simultaneous association with the traditional Roman reliance on omens, auguries, seers, and notions of fate and luck as arbiters of the future, Toner adduces as examples of risk management elements drawn from societal and cultural norms enshrined in tradition, architecture, military logistics, law, financial management, and religion. This is a highly readable, superbly documented survey of the ancient Roman cultural encounter with risk and uncertainty. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Joseph S. Louzonis, formerly, St. Francis College (NY)