Review by Choice Review
Clemency may not be the abstract virtue most readily attributable to the Romans. Walter Burkert once categorized those ancient masters of the Mediterranean as emblematic of a human condition: "all systems and forms of power are based on institutionalized violence." But Julius Caesar widely advertised his policy of clementia--at least toward peers and fellow countrymen. The younger Cato protested by committing ostentatious suicide. Dowling's clearly written, well-documented, and nearly exhaustive study explores the tension between Roman ruling power and public remission of presumed sins. She focuses on literary presentations and legal documentation; she also successfully discusses and illustrates artistic evidence. Dowling (Southern Methodist Univ.) concisely surveys the classical and Hellenistic background. She subtly hints at the extent to which Caesarian clemency was but another example of Dictator Caesar and his successors' emulation of Hellenistic monarchs. She offers insightful commentary and analysis of the semantics of clemency in Latin republican-era dramatists before embarking on her main concern: the evolution of concept and practice from the age of Caesar to approximately the third century CE. A feasible sequel could usefully connect more precisely Christian clemency to its classical antecedents. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. P. B. Harvey, Jr. Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
