Social Class

Discussion of class structure in fifth-century Athens, historical constitution of theater audiences, and the changes in the comic representation of class antagonism from Aristophanes to Menander

Aristophanes and De Ste. Croix: The value of old comedy as evidence for Athenian popular culture

De Ste. Croix famously argued that Aristophanes had a conservative political outlook and attempted to use his comedies to win over lower-class audiences to this minority point of view. The ongoing influence of his interpretation has meant that old comedy has been largely ignored in the historiography of Athenian popular culture. This article extends earlier critiques of de Ste. Croix by systematically comparing how Aristophanes and the indisputably popular genre of fourth-century oratory represented the social classes of the Athenians and political leaders. The striking parallels between the two suggest that Aristophanes, far from advocating a minority position, exploited the rich and, at times, contradictory views of lower-class citizens for comic and ultimately competitive ends. As a consequence his plays are valuable evidence for Athenian popular culture and help to correct the markedly fourth-century bias in the writing of Athenian cultural history

The Two Worlds of the Antigone

published or submitted for publicatio

Seneca on the Fear of Poverty in the Epistulae Morales

For Seneca in the Epistulae Morales Stoic philosophy is a mental discipline which will free its practitioners from fear, including the fear of poverty. «Poverty» here is the loss of wealth, and especially of the material goods and status which wealth makes possible. Seneca recommends strategies to help his élite audience live comfortably with their wealth without fear of losing it. These strategies include avoiding the extremes of luxury and developing an attitude of nonchalance towards one's material goods.Rosivach Vincent J. Seneca on the Fear of Poverty in the Epistulae Morales. In: L'antiquité classique, Tome 64, 1995. pp. 91-98

The Distribution of Population in Attica

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Love and leisure in Roman comedy and the amatory poets

Étude des métiers que la comédie romaine et la poésie romaine du premier siècle av. J.-C. opposent à la vie d'amour et de loisir (amor et otium) des jeunes amoureux. Les métiers qui enrichissent un pauvre reflètent les valeurs du monde grec, les métiers qui mènent à l'honneur et à la gloire celles du monde romain. La présence de valeurs grecques dans la comédie romaine est naturelle, leur présence chez les poètes augustéens est la preuve de la transmission de valeurs sociales grecques à travers l'éducation romaine typique.Rosivach Vincent J. Love and leisure in Roman comedy and the amatory poets. In: L'antiquité classique, Tome 55, 1986. pp. 175-189