Document Type
Preprint
Publication Date
1-18-2024
Journal / Book Title
Cambridge Companion to Alexander the Great
Abstract
The Alexander most visible to us today is one who was created and recreated in the Roman period. While Alexander's presence in literature is strong enough that we can reasonably describe the trajectory of intellectual interest in Alexander during the Roman period, more difficult to pin down is the degree to which powerful Romans engaged in conscious imitatio or aemulatio Alexandri, which generally involves squaring literary hints with material evidence that does not always speak to us as directly as we would like it to. Without dismissing the world of ways in which various aspects of Alexander-myth may have been subtly exploited by powerful Romans, this paper charts a path between overly credulous and overly sceptical conclusions concerning individual Romans by taking an overview approach of imperial interest and tightening our definitions of 'imitation' or 'emulation' in the context of Romans and Alexander. I conclude that both imitatio and aemulatio look quite different at Rome than they do in the provincial east.
DOI
10.1017/9781108888349.028
Montclair State University Digital Commons Citation
Asirvatham, Sulochana, "Alexander and the Roman emperors" (2024). Department of Classics and General Humanities Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 43.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/classics-gnrl-hmnties-facpubs/43