The Romans devotion to their past pervades almost every aspect of theirculture. But the clearest image of how the Romans wished to interpret theirpast is found ... » 

The Romans devotion to their past pervades almost every aspect of theirculture. But the clearest image of how the Romans wished to interpret theirpast is found in their historical writings. This book examines in detail themajor Roman historians Sallust Livy Tacitus Ammianusas well as the biographies written by Nepos Tacitus Suetonius the Augustan History the autobiographies of Julius Caesar and the Emperor Augustus.Ronald Mellor demonstrates that Roman historical writing was regarded by itsauthors as a literary not a scholarly exercise and how it must be evaluated inthat context. He shows that history writing reflected the political structuresof ancient Rome under the different regimes. «