The Alternative Augustan Age
Edited by Kit Morrell, Josiah Osgood, and Kathryn Welch
ISBN: 978-0190901400
Oxford University Press (2019) – $85.00
There are periods in history in which one individual’s impact is considered so great and distinct that it is deemed his or her ‘age’. Traditionally seen as such is Caesar Augustus and his times. This new volume sets out to challenge the notion of an ‘Augustan Age’.
The book came out of the Symposium Campanum conference held in 2016. Presenters were invited to challenge the traditional view that Augustus was chiefly responsible for the major political and cultural developments of his age. By de-focusing Augustus and examining the other figures of the period, the contributors’ papers seek to present a new view of a familiar period.
The twenty papers encompass a wide range of subjects. Among them, Amy Russell and Andrew Pettinger look at different aspects of the Senate, Werner Eck talks about
