Origin Stories: Plundered Libraries and Theories of Appropriation in Greek and Roman Imperial Literature

This article argues that anecdotes about Roman generals plundering foreign libraries were a type of Roman origin story that gained traction among imperial authors writing about the republican past. Scholars have traditionally treated these anecdotes as historical sources that document not only the b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTAPA (Society for Classical Studies) Vol. 153; no. 2; pp. 389 - 430
Main Author Schultz, Alexandra Leewon
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 01.09.2023
Subjects
Classical literature
Cultural factors
Cultural heritage
Culture
Greek literature
Hellenistic
Historical text analysis
History
Libraries
Literature
Medical libraries
Philosophers
Plutarch (46?-120?)
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Summary:This article argues that anecdotes about Roman generals plundering foreign libraries were a type of Roman origin story that gained traction among imperial authors writing about the republican past. Scholars have traditionally treated these anecdotes as historical sources that document not only the beginnings of Roman literary, scientific, and book history, but also Rome's ability to transform military victory into cultural and intellectual conquest. Adopting a different approach, I argue that anecdotes about plundered libraries were a means by which imperial authors contested the extent and nature of foreign cultural influence on Rome and hence the makeup of Romanness itself.
ISSN:2575-7180
2575-7199
2575-7199
DOI:10.1353/apa.2023.a913468