[Usyd_Classics_Events] Final USyd CAH Research Seminar Semester 1: May Nicole Duncan

Ben Brown benjamin.brown at sydney.edu.au
Mon May 20 10:36:00 AEST 2024


Dear Friends of Classics and Ancient History at USYD,

Please join us at the Boardroom of the V. Gordon Childe Centre (formerly CCANESA) or on Zoom (link below) for the final presentation in our Semester 1, 2024 Research Seminar Series.


May 23rd (Thursday, 4pm AEST/UTC+10)


Nicole Duncan (University of Sydney)


Lepidus, leadership, and civil war generals

Abstract:
What might it look like to behave ‘correctly’ in civil war? This question unsurprisingly preoccupied all engaged in political life in Late Republican and Triumviral Rome. To some, the primary concern was survival, for others dignity, while others still sought honour and power. In the ensuing chaos of the 40s and 30s, individuals had to judge, justify, and reevaluate behaviour appropriate at all stages of civil conflict, including its shaky aftermath. For citizens in leadership positions, experimentation was rife. In this paper I seek to emphasise the development of a new model, one that was amorphous, problematic, and not currently singled out enough: the civil war leader. To do this, I look at the often-neglected Lepidus, who has much to reveal about the shifting expectations of leadership at this time. More specifically, I will be considering some of the issues that arise when a civil war general chooses a non-violent path to victory, such as the appropriate avenues for praise and the ability of mediation to bring a definitive end to civic strife. I argue that this strategy of crisis management, to which Lepidus turns several times in an attempt to control chaos and subdue fear, actually exposes a number of tensions deeply embedded within the community. This paper represents research conducted as part of my MPhil, which focuses on how the actions and representations of an individual like Lepidus might disrupt our understanding of ideal models of leadership during and after periods of internal political crisis in Rome.

Nicole Duncan is a current MPhil researcher and tutor in Ancient History at the University of Sydney.


Zoom link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/85192829117<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/lmKbCnx1jnilKM9W3H99evm?domain=t.e2ma.net>

We hope to see you there!

All best, Ben

DR BEN BROWN
Senior Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History
Honours Coordinator, School of Humanities (SoH)
Co-director Critical Antiquities Network<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/r5zpCoV1kpflBx2wPHzdYVF?domain=criticalantiquities.org>
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY NSW 2006
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