Herodian on Greek and Roman Failings

This chapter examines the Herodian as a Greek intellectual living and writing within the Roman Empire. Herodian's ideal society appears to be one where able men can make a career for themselves, provided they perform their tasks capably, mind their business and do not let themselves be led astray by excessive ambition. Time and again, Herodian has been compared to his near-contemporary Dio Cassius, and invariably to the latter's advantage. As an educated Greek of the late second century, Herodian was familiar not only with the literature of the Classical period but also with the leading writers of the Second Sophistic, such as Dio Chrysostom. Romans of course had their failings as well. If urban rivalry was a Greek weakness, the deplorable habit of murdering emperors seems a typically Roman one. Herodian devotes a good deal of space to the campaigns of Alexander. Keywords: Alexander; Greek failings; Herodian; imperial murder; Roman failings; urban rivalry

Aesthetics · Ancient Greek · Art · Classical period · Greek Literature · Literature · Rivalry · Roman Empire · Byzantine Studies and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · History

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