Chapter Two. The Greek Background

Norden's claim for the utter Romanness of Virgil's Heldenschau referred to in the Introduction calls for a short survey of the likely Greek antecedents or sources of inspiration of Augustus' Hall of Fame. Since selections of the best poets, philosophers etc. - the so-called canons, to be discussed anon - are a central feature of Greek paideia, it was no doubt the choice of heroes exclusively from the political-military sphere that lay at the root of Norden's comment. This chapter concerns itself with a discussion of this state of affairs as a necessary preliminary to the understanding of the differences of view between Greece and Republican Rome in respect of the diverse careers of men, and to an appropriate appreciation of the innovations of the Augustan age.Keywords: Augustus; Forum Augustum; Hall of Fame; paideia

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