The Classical Barbarian. A discontinuous history

Open Lecture

"The Classical Barbarian. A discontinuous history", by Greg Woolf (Ronald J. Mellor Distinguished Professor of Ancient History, UCLA)

Organized by the project BioRom - Rome our Home: (Auto)biographical Tradition and the Shaping of Identity(ies)

Abstract:

We have come to understand 'the barbarian' as an ideological construction deployed by settled populations from at least the fifth century BCE in the service of projects of self-definition and imperialist legitimation. I will begin with this perspective - which I largely share - before introducing some nuances and questions about testimony. My argument will be that from the start the image of the barbarian was repeatedly made prominent and then sidelined, modified from time to time and text to text as each occasion demanded, that there were places and periods where the barbarians almost disappeared from the collective imaginary, before being revived to serve new purposes.

Zoom link:

https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/87631133316?pwd=M2hncjBBV21DbFZyeWkxUGsrbTQwdz09

Meeting ID: 876 3113 3316
Password: 740881