The Roman Slogan of Greek Freedom against Nabis and Antiochos III

Chapter 6 illustrates how the Romans came to use the slogan of freedom in diverse ways. In the case of Nabis, the slogan of freedom served to justify an aggression against Sparta, which the Romans presented as a purely Greek affair. Also, by declaring that they had given cities in Greece their freedom and were protecting the freedom of Greek cities in Asia (i.e., those that already had it and those that had been freed following the Roman defeat of Philip V), the Romans secured themselves both a place in Greek affairs and a casus belli against Antiochos. By using the slogan of freedom, the Romans rearranged the Greek political landscape, thus positioning themselves as the “champions of freedom” and “common benefactors” of all Greeks.

Art · Literature · Political science · Slogan · Classical Antiquity Studies · Law · Medicine