Books by Christopher J Dart
The Social War was a significant uprising against the Roman state by Rome’s allies in Italy. The ... more The Social War was a significant uprising against the Roman state by Rome’s allies in Italy. The conflict lasted little more than two and a half years but it is widely recognised as having been immensely important in the unification of Roman Italy. Between 91 and 88 BCE a brutal campaign was waged but the ancient sources preserve scant information about the war. In turn, this has given rise to conflicting accounts of the war in modern scholarship and often contradictory interpretations.
This book provides a new and comprehensive reassessment of the events surrounding the Social War, analysing both the long-term and the immediate context of the conflict and its causes. Critical to this study is discussion of the nexus of citizenship, political rights and land which dominated much of second century BCE politics. It provides a new chronological reconstruction of the conflict itself and analyses the strategies of both the Romans and the Italian insurgents. The work also assesses the repercussions of the Social War, investigating the legacy of the insurgency during the civil wars, and considers its role in reshaping Roman and Italian identity on the peninsula in the last decades of the Republic.
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Papers and Book Chapters by Christopher J Dart
The epic naval battle of Naulochus, one of the watersheds in Caesar Octavianus' rise to the rule ... more The epic naval battle of Naulochus, one of the watersheds in Caesar Octavianus' rise to the rule of the Roman world, earned the victor, his subordinate commanders and his soldiers many special honours and distinctions. While some of these are well known and have received considerable attention, others remain obscure or have been largely overlooked. This paper seeks to enhance and deepen our understanding of the military crowns awarded respectively to M. Vipsanius Agrippa (cos. 37, 28, 27) and all those who took part in the fighting at Naulochus: namely the corona naualis (naval crown) and the corona oleaginea (olive crown). A careful reappraisal of both awards suggests that the modalities of conferral, as well as the particular usage of both decorations, represent notable, if calculated, departures from republican practice, accounting for striking examples of the novelties that marked the civil wars following the assassination of C. Iulius Caesar on the Ides of March in 44. As a corollary, the analysis highlights a distinctive but hitherto widely ignored feature of the ovation (also known as the lesser triumph) and enhances our appreciation of the origins of the Augustan ornamenta trium-phalia. This leads to reflections upon the wider historical significance of the honours of 36 as milestones on the road to the so-called Augustan Principate and early indicators of some of the hallmarks of Augustan autocratic statecraft.
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What sort of a triumph was the Actian triumph, really? How was it celebrated and commemorated? A ... more What sort of a triumph was the Actian triumph, really? How was it celebrated and commemorated? A careful revision of all the extant source materials strongly suggests it featured as the last formal naval triumph in Roman history, and that it was celebrated - and later inscribed in the Augustan Fasti Triumphales - as (triumphum) classicum ex Actio. In the course of this inquiry, it will also be suggested that both Naulochus and Actium spawned two rostral columns, one for Octavian as well as Agrippa, and that these formed a coherent grouping set on the Forum Romanum until Domitian moved them to the Capitol, where they were still present in the early 5th century CE.
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A Companion to the Flavian Age of Imperial Rome. edited by A. Zissos, John Wiley & Sons, 2016
Understanding the dynamic nature of military operations on the Roman empire's frontiers during th... more Understanding the dynamic nature of military operations on the Roman empire's frontiers during the Flavian era requires more than the study of a physical border. It involves understanding a network of military resources and infrastructure that had evolved over time and continued to change. The armies of the frontiers were expected to respond to external and internal crises alike, providing for both the security of the empire and its defense from external threats. Typically, Roman actions on the frontiers are far more clearly preserved in ancient literary source material than is the underlying rationale for those actions. On the Rhine and Danube rivers, the fleets provided lateral lines of communication and facilitated the movement of forces and goods. As with the military organization of frontier regions, the Flavians inherited a naval system that dated to the reign of Augustus and had evolved under the Julio-Claudians.
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The Roman Republican Triumph. Beyond the Spectacle (edd. C.H. Lange and F.J. Vervaet), pp. 53-64, 2014
In the fourth section of his famous summary of Roman triumphal custom (‘de iure triumphi’, 2.8), ... more In the fourth section of his famous summary of Roman triumphal custom (‘de iure triumphi’, 2.8), Valerius Maximus asserts that there existed a principle that the public triumph could only be awarded to those whose victories had increased the Roman dominion rather than merely recovered that which had once been Roman, citing as examples the failed triumphal petitions of Q. Fulvius Flaccus (cos. 237, 224, 212, 209) and L. Opimius (cos. 121) in 211 and 125 respectively. Although the evidence suggests that this can hardly have been a universally applicable and ongoing requirement, this case study endeavours to show that, while there are flaws in Valerius’ (manifestly biased) representation and he indiscriminately conflates conventions and rules that emerged and evolved over several centuries, there remains historical value in this passage. In discussing these and a few other relevant triumphs (esp. those of M. Claudius Marcellus in 211, Q. Fabius Maximus in 209 and Cn. Pompeius Strabo in 89), this study sheds further light on Valerius Maximus' precis of triumphal law and on how the Senate appraised Roman victories over disloyal allied communities. Rather than being simply incorrect or unhistorical, the “pro aucto imperio” principle indicates a particular development in Roman triumphal practice, as the Senate had to justify its decisions in the face of quite specific geopolitical circumstances.
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The paper assess the known examples of the election of duumuiri nauales and seeks to reconstruct ... more The paper assess the known examples of the election of duumuiri nauales and seeks to reconstruct their powers and intended functions. In turn, the study has implications for our understanding of the development of the roman navy during the early republic.
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Hermes: Zeitschrift fur klassische philologie, Jan 1, 2011
Información del artículo The impact of the Gracchan Land Commission and the "Dandis" Po... more Información del artículo The impact of the Gracchan Land Commission and the "Dandis" Power of the Triumvirs.
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Project Management Journal, Jan 1, 2011
We compare selected project management practices undertaken almost 2,000 years ago with current l... more We compare selected project management practices undertaken almost 2,000 years ago with current literature on best project management practice. We take a case study approach focusing on a person who could be seen to have taken a project manager, project sponsor, and champion role. We suggest that some project management approaches used in Roman times are routinely used today; however, changes in the culture and technology have transformed possibilities for project management techniques, and so changed approaches are inevitable. The paper provides useful insights about the nature of changes to project management practice that may be expected during this century.
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Private and Public Lies: The Discourse of Despotism …, Jan 1, 2010
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Athenaeum, Jan 1, 2010
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Historia: zeitschrift für alte geschichte: revue d'histoire …, Jan 1, 2009
Información del artículo The "Italian Constitution" in the Social War: a reassessment (... more Información del artículo The "Italian Constitution" in the Social War: a reassessment (91 to 88 BCE).
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Encyclopaedia Entries by Christopher J Dart
The Sea in World History Exploration, Travel, and Trade, edited by S. Stein, 2017
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The Sea in World History Exploration, Travel, and Trade, edited by S. Stein, 2017
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The Sea in World History Exploration, Travel, and Trade, edited by S. Stein, 2017
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The Sea in World History Exploration, Travel, and Trade, edited by S. Stein, 2017
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The Encyclopedia of War, Jan 1, 2012
... B Civ. 4.108). With the supply routes from Asia secure, Brutus and Cassius intended to avoid ... more ... B Civ. 4.108). With the supply routes from Asia secure, Brutus and Cassius intended to avoid a pitched battle and wear the triumvirs out. ... Cassius fled to the city of Philippi. ... B Civ. 4.113; Dio Cass. 47.46). The Encyclopedia of War, First Edition. Edited by Gordon Martel. ...
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The Encyclopedia of War, Jan 1, 2012
... While on campaign standards were kept in the care of the primus pilus. The first act whenpitc... more ... While on campaign standards were kept in the care of the primus pilus. The first act whenpitching camp was to drive the standards into the ground. Similarly, the Roman expression for striking camp was “to lift the standards” (signa tollere). ...
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The Encyclopedia of War, Jan 1, 2012
Page 1. Gallic War (58–51 BCE) CHRISTOPHER J. DART The Gallic War was a series of campaigns condu... more Page 1. Gallic War (58–51 BCE) CHRISTOPHER J. DART The Gallic War was a series of campaigns conducted by Gaius Julius Caesar as pro-consul which resulted in the conquest of the region of Gaul between 58 and 51 BCE. ...
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The Encyclopedia of War, 2012
... This had occasioned wars between groups of Goths and Huns and had prompted some Gothic groups... more ... This had occasioned wars between groups of Goths and Huns and had prompted some Gothic groups to look to the Roman side of the Danube River for refuge. There ... 3 Page 4. On August 9 Valens marched from Adria-nople. In ...
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Books by Christopher J Dart
This book provides a new and comprehensive reassessment of the events surrounding the Social War, analysing both the long-term and the immediate context of the conflict and its causes. Critical to this study is discussion of the nexus of citizenship, political rights and land which dominated much of second century BCE politics. It provides a new chronological reconstruction of the conflict itself and analyses the strategies of both the Romans and the Italian insurgents. The work also assesses the repercussions of the Social War, investigating the legacy of the insurgency during the civil wars, and considers its role in reshaping Roman and Italian identity on the peninsula in the last decades of the Republic.
Papers and Book Chapters by Christopher J Dart
Encyclopaedia Entries by Christopher J Dart
This book provides a new and comprehensive reassessment of the events surrounding the Social War, analysing both the long-term and the immediate context of the conflict and its causes. Critical to this study is discussion of the nexus of citizenship, political rights and land which dominated much of second century BCE politics. It provides a new chronological reconstruction of the conflict itself and analyses the strategies of both the Romans and the Italian insurgents. The work also assesses the repercussions of the Social War, investigating the legacy of the insurgency during the civil wars, and considers its role in reshaping Roman and Italian identity on the peninsula in the last decades of the Republic.