Invectivity in arenas of ritualised communication in the Roman republic and imperial period (A)

• Subject Area: Ancient History
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 317232170

The research project explores the occurrence of invectives in the public political space posing the question how much insult one had to endure in the rather rough communication climate of Rome and in what situations the ‘point of no return’ was eventually reached. Comparing the Roman republic and the Roman imperial period means comparing two distinct political systems that are largely identical in regards to the arenas (i.e. stabilized and ritualised spaces of communication), but profoundly different in matters of the allocation of power. The research’s concern will be the shift of limits and thresholds of invectivity.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1285: Invectivity. Constellations and Dynamics of disparagement
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Dresden
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Martin Jehne