Ronald Syme

Sir Ronald Syme (11 March, 1903 – 4 September, 1989), New Zealand-born historian, was the preeminent classicist of the 20th century.

Works

The work for which he is chiefly remembered, The Roman Revolution (1939), was a masterly and controversial analysis of Roman political life in the period following the assassination of Julius Caesar. Inspired by the rise of fascist regimes in Germany and Italy, and following Tacitus in both literary style and pessimistic insight, the work challenged prevailing attitudes on the last years of the Roman Republic. Its main conclusion was that the structure of the Republic and its Senate were inadequate to the needs of Roman rule, and that Augustus was merely doing what was necessary to restore order in public life. "The Roman constitution", he wrote, "was a screen and a sham"; Octavian's supposed restoration of the Republic was a pretence on which he had built a monarchy based on personal relationships and the ambition of Rome's political families.

Related Topics:
The Roman Revolution - 1939 - Julius Caesar - Fascist - Germany - Italy - Tacitus - Roman Republic - Octavian - Monarchy

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His two-volume biography of Tacitus (1958), his favorite of the ancient historians, is definitive. The work's forty-five chapters and ninety-five appendices make up the most complete study of Tacitus yet produced, backed by an exhaustive treatment of the historical and political background—the Empire's first century—of his life.

Related Topics:
1958 - Study of Tacitus

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His biography of Sallust (1964) is also regarded as authoritative, while his four books and numerous essays on the Augustan History firmly established the authorship of that work. His History in Ovid places Ovid firmly in his social context.

Related Topics:
Sallust - 1964 - Augustan History - Ovid

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